Division  £>S5l\ 

Section  *  j 


oF 

/  v  c 

_ _ _ _ I  OCT  16  1923 

\  A 

BIBLE  STUDIES  IN 
THE  LIGHT  OF 
RECENT  RESEARCH 


An  Introductory  Manual 
for  Higher  Institutions  of 
Learning  and  Thoughtful 
Bible  Students 


Augustus  William  Ahl,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Greek,  Thiel  College 

Author  of 

“Outline  of  Persian  History,  Based  on  the  Cuneiform  Inscriptions” 


LEMCKE  &  BUECHNER 

NEW  YORK  LEIPZIG  LONDON  PARIS 

MCM'XXIII 


COPYRIGHTED  1923 
BY 

AUGUSTUS  WILLIAM  AHL 


ALMAE  MATRI 

SUSQUEHANNAE  UNIVERSITATI 
SACRUM 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/biblestudiesinliOOahla 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


Higher  education  in  the  United  States  had  its  be¬ 
ginning  largely  in  the  religious  impulse  of  its  early 
inhabitants.  Nearly  all  of  the  colleges  of  the  early 
settlers  were  primarily  institutions  of  religious  edu¬ 
cation  under  the  direction  of  some  church  with  this 
chief  aim  in  view  to  train  men  for  the  Christian 
ministry.1 

As  year  succeeded  year  this  primary  conception 
of  the  object  of  the  colleges  was  greatly  modified, 
for  preparation  for  divers  professions  outside  of  the 
immediate  service  of  the  church  became  the  need  of 
the  hour.  In  this  process  of  adjustment,  however, 
due  to  the  startling  material  development  of  our 
country,  the  complicated  applications  of  sciences 
and  inventions,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  the  church 
failed  to  maintain  her  earlier  exalted  educational 
conception  the  religious  moment  gradually  lost  its 
well  merited  place  in  the  curricula  of  the  higher  in¬ 
stitutions  of  learning.  Happily  a  new  era  in  con¬ 
structive  religious  culture  is  dawning.  The  depart¬ 
ments  of  religious  education  are  on  the  increase. 
The  Bible  as  literature,  as  a  moral  religious  factor, 
is  being  taught  again,  is  becoming  a  vital  part  of 
the  work  and  is  fast  gaining  in  academic  prestige.2 
The  Bible  is  the  natural  centre  of  religious  educa- 

tA.  pamphlet  published  in  1754  by  Yale  College  declares 
the  great  design  of  that  school  to  be  the  education  of  min¬ 
isters  for  the  church. 

2An  examination  in  Bible  is  now  required  at  Harvard  of 
certain  classes  of  candidates  for  the  A.  B.  degree.  At 
Columbia  all  Freshmen  are  required  to  take  a  course  in 
contemporary  civilization  part  of  which  consists  in  the 
teaching  of  religion. 


tion.  The  object  of  this  work  is  to  introduce  the 
student  to  its  history,  nature,  contents  and  purpose, 
and  awaken  in  him  the  desire  to  cherish  the  Bible 
as  his  most  precious  treasure,  a  life  companion,  in¬ 
ducing  him  to  apply  diligently  its  sublime  truths. 

Technical  terms  have  bqen  avoided  whenever  it  has 
been  possible  to  do  so.  Extensive  critical  examina¬ 
tions  and  discussions  are  left  to  their  specific  sphere, 
only  such  reference  as  seems  most  needful  has  been 
made  to  that  phase  of  the  subject.  Many  ponderous 
volumes,  touching  on  limited  eras  have  been  written 
in  a  most  fascinating  manner,  but  such  prove  un¬ 
wieldy  in  the  class  room.  The  matter  presented  here 
is  deemed  sufficient  for  the  ordinary  student  of  the 
Bible  in  our  colleges.  Although  divine  truth  is  its 
own  chief  interpreter  and  defender  the  thinking 
mind  welcomes  light  shed  upon  it  from  outside 
sources.  Recent  philological  and  archaeological  en¬ 
deavors  have  been  highly  fruitful  and  the  latest  re¬ 
sults  of  research  work  are  here  given  due  considera¬ 
tion.  To  neglect  these  sources,  placed  within  the 
reach  of  the  humblest  student,  is  inexcusable  in  any 
who  reverence  the  word  of  truth.  A  natural  re¬ 
action  against  the  extreme  attitude  and  rationalism 
has  set  in  and  there  is  at  present  a  strong  current 
toward  the  rehabilitation  of  the  conservative  view 
in  Bible  study.  Blind  theological  tradition  and 
radical  criticism  are  alike  harmful.  To  treat  the 
Bible  as  an  infallible  text  book  and  repository  of 
science  is  as  unreasonable  as  to  relegate  it  in  toto  or 
ex  parte  to  the  realm  of  fable.  The  evidence  for  the 
authenticity  of  the  Biblical  books  is  far  stronger 
than  the  corresponding  evidence  exhibited  in  be¬ 
half  of  some  of  the  books  in  classical  literature.  Un¬ 
justly  the  critic  frequently  demands  unreasonably 


strong  evidence  as  regards  the  Scriptures,  but  with¬ 
out  hesitating  insists  that  his  own  hypothesis  be  ac¬ 
cepted  as  infallible  even  on  the  slightest  evidence. 
However,  human  opinions  will  vanish  in  the  flight 
of  time,  even  “heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
but  my  words  (says  the  Lord)  shall  not  pass  away.” 
The  position  taken  in  this  work  is  the  attempt  of  a 
happy  blending  of  sound  scholarship  with  the  Old 
Faith.  Since  this  work  is  intended  only  as  an  intro¬ 
ductory  guide  the  Bible  itself  should  be  constantly 
used  and  corresponding  time  should  be  devoted  to 
the  consideration  of  its  outstanding  parts.  Grateful 
acknowledgement  is  made  to  Mrs.  Henrietta  Paulsen 
Ahl,  Prof.  T.  B.  Roth,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  Chas.  B. 
Wakefield,  D.  D.,  for  their  constant  sympathy  and 
helpful  interest  during  the  preparation  of  this  work. 
May  this  publication,  the  outgrowth  of  Bible  study 
in  the  class  room,  go  on  its  errand  to  attract,  uplift, 
and  draw  nigh  to  God  many  thoughtful  Bible 
students  in  our  Colleges  and  elsewhere. 

AUGUSTUS  WILLIAM  AHL 

September,  1923. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

I.  Religion  .  13 

II.  Revelation  .  17 

III.  The  Canon  .  22 

IV.  Ancient  Records  and  the  Bible .  30 

V.  The  Pentateuch  .  39 

1.  Genesis 

2.  Exodus 

3.  Leviticus 

4.  Numbers 

5.  Deuteronomy 

VI.  Joshua  .  65 

VII.  The  Book  of  Judges .  70 

VIII.  Ruth  .  74 

IX.  The  Two  Books  of  Samuel .  77 

X.  The  Two  Books  of  Kings .  83 

XI.  The  Two  Books  of  Chronicles .  94 

XII.  Chronology  .  96 

XIII.  Ezra  .  103 

XIV.  Nehemiah  .  106 

XV.  Esther  .  108 

XVI.  Hebrew  Poetry  .  Ill 

XVII.  Job  .  113 

XVIII.  The  Book  of  Psalms .  117 

XIX.  The  Proverbs  .  123 

XX.  Ecclesiastes  .  126 

XXI.  The  Song  of  Songs .  128 

XXII.  Prophetism  .  131 

XXIII.  Isaiah  .  134 

XXIV.  Jeremiah  .  142 

XXV.  Lamentations  .  146 

XXVI.  Ezekiel  .  147 

XXVII.  Daniel  .  151 

XXVIII.  Hosea  .  157 

XXIX.  Joel  .  159 

XXX.  Amos  .  161 


Page 

XXXI.  Obadiah  .  163 

XXXII.  Jonah  . 165 

XXXIII.  Micah  . 167 

XXXIV.  Nahum  . 169 

XXXV.  Habakkuk  . .  171 

XXXVI.  Zephaniah  . 173 

XXXVII.  Haggai  . 175 

XXXVIII.  Zechariah  . 178 

XXXIX.  Malachi  . . 181 

XL.  Synopsis  of  Messianic  Prophecies . . .  184 

XLI.  New  Times  . . . . . . . . .  187 

XLII.  The  Gospel  According  to  Matthew . . .  195 

XLIII.  The  Gospel  According  to  Mark . . .  201 

XLIV .  The  Gospel  According  to  Luke .  205 

XLV.  The  Gospel  According  to  John .  211 

(The  Harmony  of  the  Life  of  Christ) .  215 

XLVI.  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles .  221 

(Chronology  of  the  Acts  and  Pauline  Epistles)  228 

XL VII.  The  Epistle  to  the  Romans .  230 

XLVIII.  The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians .  235 

XLIX.  The  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians .  239 

L.  The  Epistle  to  the  Galatians .  242 

LI.  The  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians .  245 

LII.  The  Epistle  to  the  Philippians . , .  248 

LIII.  The  Epistle  to  the  Colossians .  251 

LIV.  The  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians .  254 

LV.  The  Second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians .  257 

LVI.  The  Pastoral  Epistles .  259 

A.  The  First  Epistle  to  Timothy 

B.  The  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy 

C.  The  Epistle  to  Titus 

LVII.  The  Epistle  to  Philemon .  266 

LVIII.  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews . . .  268 

LIX.  The  Epistle  of  James . . .  272 

LX.  The  First  Epistle  of  Peter. . . .  275 

LXI.  The  Second  Epistle  of  Peter .  278 

LXII.  The  Three  Epistles  of  John . . .  280 

LXIII.  The  Epistle  of  Jude .  284 


Page 

LXIV.  The  Apocalypse  of  John .  287 

LXV.  A  Summary  of  the  History  of  the  Kingdom  of 

God  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament .  291 


A.  Introduction 

B.  The  Kingdom  in  the  Old  Testament 

1.  The  Beginnings  of  Things 

2.  The  Patriarchs 

3.  The  Chosen  People 

4.  Under  Foreign  Rulers 

5.  The  Maccabees 

C.  The  Kingdom  in  the  New  Testament 

1.  The  Messianic  Fulfilment 

2.  The  Apostolic  Age 


I 

RELIGION 


Religion1  has  always  occupied  a  prominent  place 
in  the  history  of  every  race  and  individual  and  is 
certain  to  remain  a  most  powerful  factor  in  the 
civilization  of  the  future.  But  there  exists  a  great 
confusion  as  to  the  proper  meaning  of  this  term.  It 
cannot  be  identified  as  belief  or  a  set  of  beliefs.  Be¬ 
liefs  may  err  or  be  proven  false,  while  religion  in  its 
truest  sense  would  not  be  destroyed  thereby.  Nor 
can  it  rest  in  the  feelings,  for  they  are  subject  to 
change.  In  its  real  essence  religion  is  fellowship, 
communion  with  the  deity.  It  rests  in  the  conscious¬ 
ness  of  man  as  a  dependent  limited  being,  who  owes 
homage  to  a  power  which  stands  in  supernatural 
relationship  to  him.  It  contains  the  fear  and  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  deity  as  well  as  its  worship  and  service. 
Religion  exists  because  man  exists.  It  is  common  to 
all  races  and  all  conditions.2  It  is  found  in  some 
form  among  the  highly  civilized  nations  of  Asia  and 
Europe  as  well  as  among  the  aborigenes  of  the  South 
Sea  Islands.  However  degraded  and  low  may  have 
been  his  condition  no  human  being  or  tribe  has  as 
yet  been  discovered  that  did  not  manifest  some  trace 
of  a  relationship  to  a  deity. 


iCicero  derives  “religio”  from  relegere:  “qui  omnia,  quae 
ad  cultum  deorum  pertinerent,  diligenter  pertractarent  et 
tamquam  relegerent  sunt  dicti  religiosi  ex  relegendo”  it  is 
the  conscientious  performance  of  the  cultus.  de  nat. 
deorum  II  26.  Lactantius  from  religare:  “vinculo  pietatis 
obstricti  deo  et  religati  sumus,  unde  ipsa  religio  nomen 
accepit,”  instit.  div.  IV,  28.  here  it  is  pious  relations  with  God. 

2Cicero  de  nat.  deorum;  similarly,  also  Homer,  and  Aris¬ 
totle,  at  different  occasions. 


14 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Religion,  then,  is  proved  to  be  inherent  in  man, 
part  of  his  nature  and  not  the  invention  of  priest  or 
prophet  for  selfish  ends  as  is  often  claimed.  Prob¬ 
ably  no  scholar  of  repute  would  hesitate  to  accept 
the  view  point  of  D.  G.  Brinton  when  he  writes: 
“  There  has  not  been  a  single  tribe,  no  matter  how 
rude,  known  to  history  or  visited  by  travellers  which 
has  been  shown  to  be  destitute  of  religion  under 
some  form.”1 

Edward  Caird  forcibly  points  out  a  psychological 
aspect  when  he  says :  ‘  ‘  Man  by  the  very  constitution 
of  his  mind,  has  three  ways  of  thinking  open  to  him : 
he  can  look  outwards  upon  the  world  around  him ; 
he  can  look  inwards  upon  the  self  within  him,  and 
he  can  look  upwards  to  the  God  above  him  and  none 
of  these  possibilities  can  remain  utterly  unrealized.”2 

Religion  has  manifested  itself  in  different  forms, 
(a)  Monotheism  comprises  Christianity,  Judaism 
and  Mohammedanism,  (b)  Dualism  contrasts  be¬ 
tween  the  principle  of  good  and  evil,  the  good  God, 
and  the  evil  God  as  in  Zoroastrianism.3  (c)  Polythe¬ 
ism  is  the  worship  of  many  gods.  Here  we  find  the 
Fetishism  of  Africa,  the  Sabaeism  of  the  Babylon¬ 
ians,  the  Zoolatry  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  nature 
worship  of  the  Teutons. 

Considering  the  relationship  of  the  deity  to  the 
world  the  following  division  may  be  made.  Panthe¬ 
ism,  which  conceives  of  God  as  impersonal ;  the  all 
is  God,  and  God  is  the  all.  Deism  thinks  of  God  as 
high  above  the  worlds  unable  or  unwilling  to  inter- 

iBrinton,  The  Religions  of  Primitive  Peoples,  p.  30. 

2Baird,  The  Evolution  of  Religion,  II  p.  77. 

3Ahl,  Outline  of  Persian  History,  based  on  the  Cuneiform 
Inscriptions,  p.  69-78. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


15 


fere  in  the  course  of  nature  and  history.  Theism 
believes  in  a  personal  God  who  is  deeply  interested 
in  this  world,  in  all  its  creatures  and  who  effects 
such  modifications  in  the  course  of  nature  and  the 
history  of  man  as  he  deems  necessary  for  his  own 
glory  and  the  well-being  of  his  creatures,  particu¬ 
larly  man. 

Although  religion  appears  in  different  forms  and 
these  forms  are  often  contradictory  one  to  another, 
such  divergencies  are  not  part  of  religion  but  the 
outgrowth  of  individual  conceptions  and  impulses. 
Men  may  have  corrupted  and  abused  it,  but  are  in  no 
sense  the  authors  of  religion  itself.  As  a  direct  revela¬ 
tion  of  the  deity  to  man,  it  is  that  agency  which  lifts 
him  beyond  the  level  of  the  mere  animal  existence 
of  physical  needs  to  the  realm  of  the  spiritual  and 
divine.  In  proportion  as  he  is  religious  he  is  true  to 
his  real  nature,  and  in  proportion  as  he  is  irreligous 
he  sinks  to  the  low  level  of  the  beast. 

Every  religion  which  desires  fellowship  with  God 
but  is  unable  to  establish  such  perfect  communion 
between  the  human  and  divine  must  be  designated 
as  false.  The  true  and  perfect  religion,  however,  is 
not  only  able  to  restore  the  relationship,  disturbed 
by  sin,  but  also  aims  and  accomplishes  a  divine  per¬ 
fection,  and  the  restoration  of  the  original  image  of 
God  in  man.  Christianity  only  possesses  these 
qualities  and  is  therefore  the  true  religion.  Judaism, 
in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures,  was  of  a  preparatory 
nature.  There  is  no  conflict  between  it  and  Chris¬ 
tianity  ;  both  are  necessary  organic  parts  of  the 
true  religion.  Their  relationship  might  be  compared 
to  that  of  the  blossom  to  the  fruit,  the  former  neces- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


16 

sarily  preceding  the  latter.  The  blossom,  if  it  is  to 
fulfill  its  purpose,  must  develop  into  fruit,  and  fruit 
cannot  grow  and  mature  unless  its  antecedent  has 
functioned. 

Christianity  is  the  only  true  religion  based  upon 
the  great  esoteric  facts  of  Divine  revelation.  It  did 
not  originate  in  the  mind  of  man  but  is  beyond 
reason  in  many  of  its  aspects. 


II 


REVELATION 

God  has  revealed  himself  to  all  men.  In  nature,  in 
creation,  in  the  lives  of  individual  men  and  nations 
he  has  made  himself  known.  (Romans  1,  19-20 ;  Acts 
17,  26-28).  At  the  same  time  he  has  implanted  in 
man  the  faculty  to  know  him  through  his  conscience 
(Romans  2,14).  The  revelatio  naturalis1  is  partly 
external  and  partly  internal.  As  external  nature 
and  history  are  telling  the  glory  of  God  and  as  in¬ 
ternal  the  still  small  voice  within  the  breast  of  man 
bears  witness  to  the  creator.  Through  his  own  de¬ 
velopment,  man  should  have  reached  the  stage  of 
religious-moral  perfection  and  with  it  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  his  divine  destiny.  However,  through 
sin  which  is  disobedience  towards  God,  such  develop¬ 
ment  was  made  impossible.  Though  longing  and 
feeling  after  God  he  was  unable  to  know  him  clearly, 
therefore  the  necessity  of  a  fuller  revelation  arose. 
He  worshipped  the  creature  instead  of  the  creator, 
nature  instead  of  him  who  made  it. 

There  is  contained  in  Revelation  all  that  is  essen¬ 
tial  for  the  salvation  and  enlightenment  of  mankind. 
As  a  diversified  record  of  a  progressive  revelation, 
which  during  thousands  of  years,  first  to  mankind, 
and  then  to  the  chosen  people,  by  slow  degrees,  and 
as  they  were  able  to  bear,  it  developed  a  gradually 
clearer  insight  into  the  eternal  relations  between 
God  and  man.  This  record  was  called  by  Paul  the 

hAristotle  writes:  This  is  the  particular  difference  be¬ 
tween  man  and  beast,  that  he  alone  has  the  feeling  of 
good  and  evil,  of  right  and  wrong.  Polit.  I.  1,  11. 


18 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


“richly  variegated  wisdom  of  God.”  The  soul  of 
man  is  as  little  capable  of  grasping  abstract  truth  as 
the  eye  is  capable  of  gazing  on  the  sun.  The  sun¬ 
light  gives  its  beauty  and  glory  to  the  world  by 
being  reflected  in  a  thousand  different  objects 
around  us.  And  because  we  should  only  be  wearied 
by  a  continuance  of  the  intolerable  blaze  of  noon, 
God  also  gives  the  softer  glow,  the  refracted  light. 
Indeed  this  light  is  never  more  beautiful  than  when 
its  sevenfold  perfection  and  color-less  indifference 
is  divided  by  falling  showers,  and  flung  in  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow  upon  the  clouds.  It  is  even  so  in  the 
spiritual  world.  God  is  light.  When  that  light 
passes  in  one  direct,  unbroken  ray  we  have,  in  his 
son,  the  brightness  of  his  glory  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person.  But  even  this  revelation  of  the 
father  passes  in  part  through  the  medium  of  the 
human  language  and  so  reaches  us  in  sweet  grada¬ 
tions,  softened  by  the  gracious  shadows  of  mystery 
which  only  faith  can  pierce.  Revelation  took  the 
form  of  verbal  communication ;  the  divine  mind 
passed  it  on  to  the  “God-breathed”  mind  of  man 
and  thus  into  emotion,  then  words,  the  original 
tongue,  and  Sacred  Scripture. 

Sacred  Books 

The  great  Eastern  religions  also  have  their  sacred 
writings.1 

There  are  the  Sacred  Tablets  of  the  Babylonians, 
The  Egyptian  Book  of  the  Dead,  The  Vedas  of  the 
Hindus,  The  Chinese  Classics,  The  Avesta  of  Zoro¬ 
aster,  The  Iliad  and  Theogony  of  Greece,  The 


*Max  Mueller,  The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


19 


Tripitaka  of  Buddha,  and  the  Koran  of  Mohammed. 

These  books  have  frequently  been  magnified  beyond 

the  reasonable ;  the  inference  has  been  drawn  that 

there  is  reallv  not  much  difference  between  them 
*/ 

and  the  Bible.  But  the  difference  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  Bible  contains  a  revelation  of  God  and 
thereby  becomes  the  means  of  grace,  whereas  these 
other  books  at  their  best  are  able  to  present  only  a 
system  of  ethics  far  inferior  to  that  presented  in  the 
Bible,  not  to  mention  the  fundamental  difference 
indicated  above. 

The  Bible 

Considering  then  the  Bible1  itself,  it  appears  that 
it  is  not  one  book  but  many,  sixty-six  in  all.2  It  is 
written  by  men  and  for  men.  Each  author  manifests 
his  individual  style  of  writing,  reveals  his  character¬ 
istics,  and  maintains  a  certain  point  of  view.  So  for 
instance,  Moses  is  the  Law-giver,  and  Teacher  of  his 
people ;  Isaiah  the  Prince  among  the  Jewish  writ¬ 
ers  ;  Ezekiel  the  Stern  Prophet ;  Paul  the  Apostle 
of  Faith;  John  the  Messenger  of  Love  and  Peter 
the  Bringer  of  Hope.  Frequently  sources  upon 
which  given  facts  are  based,  are  indicated.  Luke 
relates  at  the  beginning  of  his  Gospel,  that  he  in¬ 
tends  to  narrate  what  the  eye  witnesses  had  report- 


tBible  is  a  derivative  from  the  Greek  BIBLIA,  the  neuter 
plural,  of  TO  BIBLION  the  book.  It  was  also  used  as  a 
singular  and  hence  passed  into  the  Teutonic  languages  in 
that  form.  It  was  originally  derived  from  the  material 
used  for  writing,  an  Egyptian  reed,  Byblus  or  Papyrus.  The 
Patristic  fathers  and  Mediaeval  scholars  commonly  em¬ 
ployed  the  plural.  The  Jews  also  were  fond  of  this  term 
in  the  application  to  their  sacred  writings,  it  occurs  sev¬ 
eral  times  in  the  Septuagint. 

2There  are  39  books  in  the  Old  Testament  and  27  in  the 
New  Testament. 


20 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


ed.  Joshua  10,  13,  I  Kings  11,  41;  14,  19;  14,  29; 
2  Chronicles  16,  11 ;  plainly  indicate  their  sources. 
In  historical,  geographical  matters  and  questions  of 
natural  sciences  these  authors  were  children  of 
their  times.1 

Though  there  is  a  vast  difference  between  the 
Biblical  books  as  to  date,  form,  style,  and  authorship 
the  unity  of  the  whole  is  apparent.  This  unity  con¬ 
sists  in  the  one  central  idea  that  the  Bible  is  a  record 
of  God’s  revelation  culminating  in  the  “Word 
made  Flesh.”  Herein  does  it  differ  and  surpass  all 
other  human  books;  it  bears  in  addition  to  the  hu¬ 
man  element  a  distinctly  divine  character.  The 
testimony  of  the  writers  themselves  in  regard  to  this 
is  unmistakable. 

The  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  announce 
their  message  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  They  tell 
what  Jehovah  spoke  to  them,  or  what  he  taught 
them.2  Peter  says:  “Holy  men  have  written,  moved, 
literally  ‘borne,’  by  the  Holy  Ghost.”3  St.  Paul 
calls  the  Scriptures  God-breathed.4  The  Old  Church 
Fathers  frequently  illustrated  this  truth  by  com¬ 
paring  the  writers  to  musical  instruments  which 
resounded  the  notes  played  on  them  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  A  beautiful  parable  it  is  indeed,  although 
it  leaves  out  of  consideration  the  fact  that  the 
Spirit  is  a  living  Spirit  speaking  to  men  even  now 
through  the  medium  by  which  God  makes  himself 
known  to  men.5 

Faith  in  the  divine  word  does  not  rest  in  the  wis- 


tKurtz,  Lehrbuch  der  Heiligen  Geschichte. 

2Isaiah  6,  Jeremiah  1.  32  Peter  1,  21.  *2  Tim.  3:16. 

5Dods,  The  Bible,  Its  Origin  p.  102. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


21 


dom  of  men  but  in  the  power  of  God.1  In  this  word 
we  find  histories  which  would  have  long  been  for¬ 
gotten  but  for  the  Bible ;  genealogies  connecting  dis¬ 
tant  generations ;  biographies ;  songs  of  victory  and 
outbursts  of  love ;  expressions  wrung  from  the  soul 
in  agony  and  distress ;  warnings  and  encourage¬ 
ments  ;  drama  and  simple  story ;  instructions  and 
counsels ;  prophecies  and  fulfilments ;  and  revela¬ 
tions  of  the  things  to  be,  along  with  the  interpreta¬ 
tions  of  the  meaning  of  writer’s  own  time.  And  as  to 
its  authors,  some  were  princes,  some  peasants,  and 
warriors  and  some  lovers  of  peace.  Some  lived  in 
palaces  and  some  in  tents.  Like  God’s  other  book, 
nature,  it  has  its  lofty  mountains,  its  suns,  its  stars, 
its  smiling  fields  and  singing  groves.  True,  it  has 
been  assailed  by  critics  of  all  shades.  But  it  has 
stood  the  test,  it  outlives  rationalism  and  higher 
criticism.  Men  who  have  prophesied  that  after 
their  day  few  would  know  anything  about  the  Bible 
are  mouldering  in  their  graves,  while  the  Word  of 
God  is  a  greater  power  today  than  ever. 


II  Cor.  2,5. 


Ill 

THE  CANON 

A.  Old  Testament 

The  collection  of  the  Biblical  Books  is  known  as 
the  Canon.  This  word  is  derived  from  KANON,  a 
standard  of  measure,  ruler,  or  rod.  A  beginning  of 
the  collection  of  the  Scriptures  was  made  by  Moses, 
when  he  commanded  the  Book  of  the  Law  to  be 
placed  beside  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant.1  Joshua2 
and  Samuel3  followed  his  example.  Copies  were 
made  of  the  Book  of  the  Law,  and  it  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  masses  remaining  for  all  time,  the 
chief  book  among  the  sacred  literature  of  Israel.  In 
the  course  of  time  the  prophetical  histories  and 
prophesies  were  added.  Hezekiah  appointed  a  com¬ 
mission  whose  task  seems  to  have  been  the  collection 
of  the  Psalms  of  David  and  Asaph  and  the  Proverbs 
of  Solomon.4  The  formal  conclusion  of  the  0.  T. 
Canon  is  not  known,  but  it  may  be  assumed  that 
Ezra,  the  Scribe,  was  the  last  to  undertake  the  col¬ 
lection  of  additional  Scriptures.  Historical  evidence 
would  indicate  that  it  was  concluded  about  300  B.  C.5 

Christ  recognized  the  authority  of  the  Old 
Testament:  John  9:36;  John  5,39;  Matthew  25:35. 
et  passim.  The  original  order  of  the  Books 
was  as  follows:  THE  THOEA  (law),  NEBIIM 
(prophets),  CHETUBIM  (other  scriptures).  The 
Thora  consists  of  the  Pentateuch  or  the  Five  Books 


iDeut.  31:24-26. 

2 Josh.  24:25-26. 

31  Sam.  10:25. 

42  Chron.  29:25-30;  Prov.  25:1. 

^Compare:  F.  W.  Weber,  Kurzgefasste  Einleitung. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


23 


of  Moses.  The  Nebiim  compose  the  prophetical  his¬ 
tories,  Joshua,  Judges,  Samuel  and  Kings,  and  the 
prophesies  are  the  major  and  minor  prophets.  The 
Chetubim  are  composed  of  the  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Job, 
Song  of  Solomon,  Lamentations,  Ruth,  Ecclesiastes 
(Coheleth)  ;  Esther,  Daniel,  Ezra,  Nehemiah  and  the 
Chronicles. 

Apocrypha 

In  addition  to  these  there  was  existing  a  set  of 
books  whose  authors  were  unknown  and  therefore 
these  were  called  the  Apocrypha.  They  were  not  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  Canon,  but  considered  of  secondary  im¬ 
portance.  Christ  and  the  Apostles  never  referred  to 
them.  They  gained  introduction  into  the  Christian 
church  through  the  Septuagint.  Gradually,  not 
without  contradiction,  however,  they  became  to  be 
held  in  equal  esteem  especially  by  Occidental  Schol¬ 
ars  till  the  Roman  church  in  1546  at  the  Council  at 
Trent  declared  all  books  contained  in  the  Vulgata 
including  the  Apocrypha  to  be  canonical.  The  Re¬ 
formers,  however,  going  back  to  original  sources, 
again  emphasized  a  difference.  Luther  embodies 
them  in  his  translation  declaring  them  not  “to  be 
esteemed  as  equal  to  the  Scriptures  but  nevertheless 
useful  and  good  for  reading.”  The  Anglican  Trans¬ 
lation  excludes  them  altogether,  “in  order  that  the 
word  of  men  might  not  adulterate  the  Divine  Word.” 

Language 

The  original  language  of  the  Old  Testament  is  the 
Hebrew,  only  in  a  few  passages  was  the  Aramaic  em¬ 
ployed.1  Hebrew  was  the  language  of  Canaan,  be- 


iDan.  2:4-7;  Ezra  4:8-6;  7:12-26;  Jer.  10:11. 


24 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


longing  to  the  Semitic  group,  and  reaching  its 
heights  of  perfection  during  the  time  of  David  and 
the  Prophets,  especially  Isaiah.  It  has  become  the 
organ  of  the  Old  Testament  revelation  and  is  there¬ 
fore  a  sacred  language.  In  the  course  of  time,  how¬ 
ever,  the  masses  of  the  people  lost  more  and  more 
the  purity  of  old  Hebrew  and  spoke  the  Aramaic.  It 
then  became  necessary  for  the  scribes  and  scholars 
to  preserve  and  to  teach  the  original  language  of 
the  law. 

Manuscripts 

As  long  as  Hebrew  was  a  living  tongue  it  was  not 
difficult  to  decipher  the  vowel-less  script  and  to  per¬ 
petuate  its  correct  meaning  among  the  people,  but 
when  it  came  to  be  neglected  necessity  arose  to  pro¬ 
vide  a  system  of  vocalization  and  accentuation.  The 
Talmud  sets  forth  the  most  rigid  regulations  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  making  of  copies ;  words,  even  letters 
were  counted.  The  text  was  not  changed,  even  if  it 
caused  offence.  The  original  remained  in  the  manu¬ 
scripts,  but  the  opinion  was  written  on  the  margin, 
and  was  called  Massora.  The  present  division  into 
chapters  is  of  Christian  origin  either  from  St.  Caro 
(126(5)  or  Stephen  Langton  (1226).  With  the  inven¬ 
tion  of  the  printing  press  the  work  of  reproduction 
became  greatly  simplified.  The  existing  Hebrew 
manscripts,  though  not  very  old,  are  of  great  author¬ 
ity  since  on  account  of  reverence  for  the  manuscripts 
and  care  in  the  transcription,  the  old  copies  were 
destroyed  whenever  age  or  other  reasons  seemed  to 
make  such  action  necessary. 

Translations 

The  oldest  translation  known  is  the  Septuagint 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


25 


which  according  to  tradition  was  made  at  the  behest 
of  an  Egyptian  king  by  seventy  Jews  residing  in  his 
country.  The  work,  however,  is  faulty  and  the 
translators  allowed  themselves  many  inexcusable 
liberties.  The  early  Christian  Church  used  the 
Septuagint  exclusively.  Later,  however,  the  Itala 
and  about  400  A.  D.  the  Latin  translation  called  Vul- 
gata  made  its  appearance.  There  was  also  the  Gothic 
translation,  made  by  Bishop  Ulfilas.  The  most 
prominent  translations  after  these  were  made  during 
he  Reformation  of  which  Luther’s  translation  into 
the  German  and  the  King  James  translation  into  the 
English  language,  stand  out  above  the  rest. 

B.  New  Testament 
Origin 

The  New  Testament  so  called  since  Tertullian, 
based  upon  Matthew  26  :28,  is  the  source  of  revela¬ 
tion  of  the  New  Covenant.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  centre 
of  the  New  Covenant  and  the  Apostles  were  eye  wit¬ 
nesses  of  his  life  and  works.  The  apostolic  message 
lived  in  the  congregations  first  in  the  form  of  oral 
tradition.  When,  however,  doubts,  tribulations,  and 
inward  strife  began  to  darken  the  faith  of  the  con¬ 
gregations,  new  words  of  correction  and  instruction 
were  needed  and  these  consisted  in  the  so  called 
Epistles,  usually  addressed  to  individual  congrega¬ 
tions  or  persons,  but  later  considered  the  property 
of  the  whole  Church.  When  the  oral  tradition  in  re¬ 
gard  to  Christ’s  words  and  works  themselves  were 
endangered  by  subtractions,  or  additions  and  adult¬ 
erations,  some  of  the  Apostles  put  in  writing  as  last¬ 
ing  and  unchangeable  monuments  of  what  “they 
had  heard  and  seen,  and  what  their  hands  had  felt.” 


26 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Thus  the  Gospels  originated,  however,  after  the 
Epistles.  These  messages  of  the  Apostles  were  val¬ 
ued  very  highly  and  probably  passed  around  from 
one  church  to  the  other.  Towards  the  end  of  the 
second  century  the  Gospels,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
and  most  of  the  Epistles  were  known  under  the 
name  of  KAINE  DIATHEKE,  i.  e.,  New  Testament. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century  Eusebius 
distinguished  between  the  Books  in  use  in  the 
Church,  whose  authenticity  was  generally  accepted 
“HOMOLOGUMENA,”  and  those  whose  apostolic 
origin  was  held  to  be  doubtful  “ANTILEGO- 
MENA.” 

In  360-400  A.  D.  the  New  Testament  Canon  had 
been  concluded  as  it  stands  today. 

Language 

The  language  of  the  New  Testament  was  universal 
in  its  character.  It  was  the  language  of  the  World 
Empire  of  Alexander,  Hellenistic,  containing  many 
Hebrew  idioms,  although  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  1 
was  originally  written  in  Aramaic. 

Manuscripts 

The  manuscripts  were  written  in  capital  or  uncial 
letters  without  division  of  words,  and  accentuation. 
The  small  letters  were  employed  later  for  the  con¬ 
venience  of  foreigners  who  wished  to  study  the  New 
Testament  Greek.  The  division  of  words,  chapters, 
and  accentuation,  date  back  to  the  13th  century. 
Some  of  the  oldest  and  most  important  Codices1  of 
the  New  Testament  are :  1.  Codex  Sinaiticus  found 

!For  detailed  description  of  the  manuscripts  see  Smyth, 
How  we  got  our  Bible,  pp.  11  fg. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


27 


in  the  Monastery  at  Sinai,  written  in  the  fourth  cen¬ 
tury,  now  in  Petrograd.  2.  Codex  Alexandrinus 
written  about  450  in  Egypt,  now  in  the  British 
Museum  at  London.  3.  Codex  Vaticanus  written 
about  350  in  Egypt,  now  in  The  Vatican  Library. 
4.  Codex  Ephraemi  written  about  450  in  Egypt,  now 
in  the  National  Library  at  Paris.  5.  Codex  Canta- 
brigiensis  written  about  550,  now  at  Cambridge. 
6.  Codex  Claromotanus  in  the  National  Library  at 
Paris. 

Until  recently  the  Codex  Vaticanus,  so  called  be¬ 
cause  it  is  kept  in  the  library  of  the  Vatican  in 
Rome,  was  the  oldest  Bible  manuscript.  Now,  how¬ 
ever,  is  found  in  Egypt  an  older  Bible  manuscript, 
containing  the  apostolic  epistles,  the  prophecies  of 
Jonah,  and  the  fifth  book  of  Moses.  The  manuscript 
is  written  in  the  Coptic  tongue  and  consists  of  109 
papyrus  rolls.  It  is  the  oldest  Bible  manuscript  in 
existence. 

Translations 

In  the  Orient  the  Syrian  Church  possessed  the 
first  translation  of  the  New  Testament  which  was 
called  Peshittho.  The  Monophysites,  Egyptians,  and 
Armenians,  also  had  their  own  translations.  The 
Occident  received  translations  somewhat  later.  Sur¬ 
passing  all  were  the  works  of  the  German  and  Eng¬ 
lish  Reformers  of  the  16th  century.  The  Patristic 
literature  from  the  second  to  the  fifth  century  like¬ 
wise  contains  many  quotations  from  the  Scriptures. 

Intelligible  Position 

How  may  an  intelligible  and  defensible  position 
regarding  the  Canon  be  reached?  Some  accept  cer- 


28 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


tain  books  as  canonical  because  the  Church  bids 
them  do  so.  Others  claim  the  Word  of  God  as  the 
sole  authority  denying  the  authority  of  the  Church. 
But  like  the  former  they  too  are  seeking  some  author¬ 
ity  for  their  position.  The  test  applied  by  them  is: 
“Does  the  Book  in  question  occupy  itself  with 
Christ  or  does  it  not?”  They  realize  that  God  has 
a  purpose  in  view  in  making  a  revelation.  Now  if 
the  Book  reveals  this  purpose  it  must  be  accepted  as 
canonical.  However,  judging  the  Canonical  Book 
by  its  merits,  certainly  leaves  much  to  be  decided  by 
the  individual  and  the  danger  of  possible  error  is  ap¬ 
parent.  Nor  can  the  inward  witness  be  trusted  to 
certify  the  truth  of  every  word  uttered  by  God. 
The  Westminster  Confession  designates  inspiration 
as  the  test  of  Canonicity.  But  how  shall  be  decided 
what  is  inspired  and  what  is  not  inspired?  Chris¬ 
tians  accept  the  fact  that  full  revelation  of  God  is 
obtained  through  Christ.  “In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word  (Logos)  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God.  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us  and  we  beheld  his  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father  full  of  grace  and 
truth.  ’ n  . 

Truly  God  revealed  himself  to  us  in  the  Scriptures 
but  these  are  the  means  or  instrument  of  conveying 
the  revelation.  Back  of  the  Scriptures,  is  the  Logos, 
the  Word,  Jesus  Christ.  He,  then,  must  be  the  final 
authority  in  deciding  the  Canonical  character  of  the 
Scriptures.  There  is  not  the  least  doubt  that  he  con¬ 
sidered  the  Thora,  the  Nebiim  and  Chetubim  as  Can¬ 
onical,  because  he  refers  to  them  frequently,  and  he 


Holm  1,1- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


29 


even  goes  so  far  as  to  enjoin  his  followers:  “Search 
the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me.”1  This 
is  applicable  also  to  the  New  Testament.  Every 
Scripture  which  contains  a  progressive  revelation  of 
God  through  Christ  is  of  Canonical  value,  for  it  has 
Him  for  its  authority. 


hJohn  5:39. 


«» 


IV 

ANCIENT  RECORDS  AND  THE  BIBLE 

Immense  results  have  been  achieved  by  the  Arch¬ 
aeological  efforts  in  Bible  Lands.1  There  is  hardly 
an  episode  in  the  Old  Testament  relating  to 
the  ancient  nations  which  has  not  received  some 
verification.  Those  critics  who  have  endeavored 
to  show  the  narrations  of  the  Jewish  writers  to 
be  wholly  or  at  least  in  part  fictitious  and 
mythical  must  taste  of  the  bitter  cup  of  being  dis¬ 
illusioned  in  some  of  their  choicest  pet  theories  in 
regard  to  the  Old  Testament.  While  it  is  true  that 
in  some  instances  new  problems  arise  from  the  light 
shed  upon  certain  phases ;  as  a  whole,  the  new  light 
is  heartily  welcomed  by  the  thoughtful  Bible  student 
and  enables  him  to  gain  a  much  clearer  view  of  the 
situation.  Places  whose  existence  had  been  doubted 
have  been  definitelv  located.  Narrations  which 
have  been  assigned  to  the  realm  of  myths,  now  stand 
vindicated  before  history,  persons  whose  existence 
was  scornfully  denied,  now  take  the  places  assigned 
them  in  the  Scriptures,  customs  which  seemed  erratic 
are  now  found  to  have  prevailed.  The  largest  con¬ 
tribution  is  made  to  the  historical  side  of  the  Bible. 
Going  back  to  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Genesis,  evi- 

l“In  all  the  realm  of  recent  research  no  field  has  proved 
more  fruitful  than  that  of  Archaeological  labors  in  the 
Orient.  These  labors  have  revealed  to  the  student  of 
Ancient  History  sources  of  unquestionable  authority  and 
immense  value.  Much  of  the  proverbial  mystery  of  the 
‘Occult  East,’  has  been  and  is  being  unveiled,  discoveries 
have  been  made  which  shed  light  over  a  past  long  darkened 
by  legend  and  error.  Without  these  contributions  the  rec¬ 
ords  of  Ancient  History  would  have  remained  inaccurate 
and  incomplete.”  Ahl,  Outline  of  Persian  History,  based 
on  the  Cuneiform  Inscriptions,  p.  11. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


31 


deuce  is  found  of  the  existence  of  the  great  Chedor- 
laomer.  The  Egyptian  discoveries  point  to  the  prob¬ 
abilities  that  the  Hyksos  dominated  the  Nile  lands 
during  the  days  of  Joseph.  Israel’s  bondage  there 
is  confirmed  by  a  tablet  bearing  the  name  “Israel” 
dating  from  the  days  of  Meneptah  II.  Portraits  of 
Canaanitish  peoples  back  the  stories  of  Joshua. 
Shishak’s  picture  of  his  prisoners  from  Canaan  bears 
out  the  truthfulness  of  the  records  of  the  Kings.  The 
Moabite  stone  testifies  to  the  verity  of  the  writer’s  of 
Kings  true  conception  of  that  Monarch.  Shalman¬ 
eser  tells  posterity  of  Ahab,  of  Benhadad,  and 
Hazael  of  Damascus,  and  of  Jehu  the  son  of  Omri. 
Tiglath-pileser  III  in  his  documents  mentions  Azar- 
iah  (Uzziah)  and  Ahaz  of  Judah,  and  Menahem, 
Pekah,  and  Hosea  of  the  northern  kingdom,  as  well 
as  Rezin  of  Damascus.  Sargon  II  relates  his  capture 
of  Samaria  and  Ashdod.  Sennacherib  records  many 
facts  regarding  his  great  campaigns,  naming  Heze- 
kiah  and  the  amount  of  tribute  paid  in  them.  Esar- 
haddon  and  Assurbanipal  count  among  their  vassals 
Manasseh  of  Judah.  Nebuchadnezzar  has  left  ex¬ 
tensive  material  bearing  on  his  own  work  and  life. 
The  records  of  Nabunaid  and  Cyrus  likewise  furnish 
abundant  testimony  to  the  truthfulness  of  the  Jew¬ 
ish  writers,  and  even  Belshazzar  is  found  to  be  the 
son,  co-regent,  of  Nabunaid,  the  last  king  of  Babylon 
before  this  empire  became  a  Persian  province.  The 
ruins  of  the  palace  of  Susa  surely  furnish  a  most  ap¬ 
propriate  setting  for  the  story  of  Esther.  These  rec¬ 
ords  mentioned  here  together  with  many  others 
which  await  decipherment,  or  which  may  be  omitted 
here  for  the  purpose  in  view,  found  on  walls  of  pal- 


32 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


aces  and  tombs,  on  rocks  and  stones,  on  tablets  and 
cylinders  and  fragments  of  divers  nature,  furnish 
a  corrected  view  of  the  political,  religious,  and  social 
aspect  of  Bible  days. 

There  was  a  time  indeed  when  the  student  of  the 
Bible  was  dreadfully  afraid  of  anything  that  ap¬ 
peared  like  an  investigation  of  any  subject  connect¬ 
ed  with  the  Scriptures.  Happily,  he  need  dwell 
no  longer  in  the  land  of  constant  fear,  but  rather 
may  rejoice  in  the  accomplishments  of  the  science 
of  research. 1 

Biblical  Theology  also  has  benefited  by  the  light 
from  the  East.  Traces  of  monotheism  which  the  Old 
Testament  so  clearly  teaches  may  be  found  in  most 
unexpected  sources.  India,  China,  Egypt,  Greece  all 
agree  in  the  modified  Monotheistic  conception  of  God, 
in  their  early  religions  which  was  still  lingering  in  the 
memory  of  the  race.  Looking  then  first  to  India  we 
read  in  the  12th  Hymn  of  the  Rig  Verda,  “there  was 
neither  day  nor  night,  nor  light,  nor  darkness,  only 
the  existent  ONE  breathed  calmly  self  contained. 
Naught  else  but  He  was  there  ....  next  all  was 

h'Not  infrequently  when  Biblical  accounts  have  been 
criticized  as  historically  inaccurate,  Archaeological  dis¬ 
coveries  and  the  decipherment  of  the  Cuneiform  writings 
have  confirmed  the  statements  of  the  Jewish  writers.  The 
Biblical  account,  for  instance,  would  imply  that  Belshazzar 
was  the  last  king  of  Babylon,  the  king  slain  when  the  city 
was  taken  by  the  Persians  on  the  night  of  the  great  ban¬ 
quet  at  the  palace.  (The  historicity  of  Belshazzar  has 
been  questioned  by  critics).  In  confirmation  of  this  report 
of  the  Bible  the  Clay  Cylinder  of  Nabunaid  states:  “As  re¬ 
gards  Belu-sharra-Usur  (Belshazzar)  the  eldest  son,  the 
issue  of  my  bowels,  implant  in  his  heart  the  fear  of  thy 
great  Godhead.”  (Clay  Cyl.  of  Nabunaid  found  at  Mugay- 
yar).  Ahl,  Outline  of  Persian  History  based  on  the  Cunei¬ 
form  Inscriptions  p.  27. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


33 


water,  chaos  indiscrete,  in  which  One  lay  void, 
shrouded  in  nothingness.”  Again  in  the  121st  hymn: 
“Him  let  us  praise,  the  golden  child  that  was  in  the 
beginning,  who  was  born  the  Lord,  Who  made  the 
earth  and  formed  the  sky.”  There  is  Monotheism 
in  the  Veda.1 

In  their  earliest  period  the  Chinese  were  mono¬ 
theists  as  has  been  convincingly  gathered  from  the 
earliest  records  of  this  nation.2  “Listen  now  to  the 
voice  which  has  come  forth  actually  from  the  re¬ 
cesses  of  the  sepulchre ;  it  reaches  us  from  ancient 
Egypt.”3  Hail  to  thee  say  all  the  creatures  .  .  .  who 
raises  the  heavens,  who  fixes  the  earth ;  we  worship 
thy  spirit  who  alone  hast  made  us,”  it  is  with  these 
words  that  a  papyrus  now  in  Paris,  dating  back  2300 
years  B.  C.  brings  to  us  the  same  thought  of  one 
God.  Greece  and  Rome  had  many  gods,  but  Zeus 
and  Jupiter  were  always  supreme.  So  other  in¬ 
stances  might  be  shown  where  ancient  philology  and 
its  sister  archaeology  have  become  handmaidens  of 
truth.  But  more  fruitful  still  are  the  endeavors  to 
bring  to  light  the  ancient  thoughts  and  records 
about  the  various  fundamental  phases  of  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  human  race  as  reported  in  Genesis.  An 
Assyrian  account  of  the  same  event  is  found 
upon  a  clay  tablet  discovered  in  the  palace  of 
Assur-bani-pal.4 

According  to  an  Etruscan  story,  God  created  the 
world  in  six  periods  of  1,000  years  each.  Similar 


!Max  Mueller,  Science  of  Religion,  p.  99. 

2Legge,  Religions  of  China,  p.  49. 

3Prof.  E.  Naville  in  a  lecture  at  Geneva. 

4Rawlinson,  Ancient  Monarchies. 


34 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


statements  are  found  also  in  the  Persian  Avesta.1 
The  Hindus,  Chinese,  and  Northern  Turanians  also 
tell  of  the  story  of  creation.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  Genesis  and  most  of  the  heathen  traditions 
agree  as  to  different  stages  of  creation,  with  the 
modern  geological  record  of  science. 

The  fall  of  man  can  be  traced  in  Assyria  and 
among  the  Hindus,  Buddhists,  Africans,  and  Mon¬ 
golians.  In  the  British  Museum  there  is  a  very  old 
Babylonian  seal  which  bears  the  figure  of  a  woman 
and  a  man  stretching  out  their  hands  toward  a  fruit 
tree  while  behind  lurks  a  serpent.  A  fragment  also 
represents  a  tree  guarded  on  all  four  sides  by  a 
sword.  Still  another  represents  a  fruitful  region 
bordered  by  four  rivers.  The  Hindu  traditions 
know  of  man  as  “  living  as  he  pleased,  unchecked  by 
any  impediment,  contemplating  the  glory  of  Vishnu, 
he  came  forth.”  In  this  they  side  flatly  with  Gene¬ 
sis  instead  of  with  those  who  try  to  persuade  them¬ 
selves  that  human  beings  have  not  issued  from  a 
single  pair  and  also  that  the  primitive  type  of  man 
is  scarcely  separable  from  that  of  the  animal.  Still 
more  clear  and  well  nigh  universal  is  the  tradition 
of  the  flood  found  chiefly  among  the  Chinese,  Iran¬ 
ians,  Assyrians,  Greeks,  and  Peruvians.  A  sense  of 
guilt  and  tokens  of  substitution  are  discernible  in 
the  Vedas,  the  Egyptian  Book  of  the  Dead,  and 
among  the  Iroquois.  Even  the  thought  of  a  Mediat¬ 
or  appears,  though  dimly,  in  the  form  of  the  Hindu 
Krishna  and  in  the  legend  of  Aeschylus  Prometheus 
Bound.  The  idea  of  immortality  is  found  in  almost 


lEbrard,  Apologetics,  vol.  II. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


35 


all  the  chief  religions  of  the  world  and  does  not 
need  special  mention  here.  The  discovery  of  ancient 
records  and  the  decipherment  of  their  inscriptions 
from  heathen  lands  has  thrown  open  the  flood  gates 
of  light  and  truth  which  the  human  race  possessed 
in  common. 

But  Palestine  proper  has  lately  yielded  up  many 
invaluable  treasures  and  more  is  expected  as  the 
years  go  by.  Here  the  work  has  been  begun  by 
American  scholars  who  have  done  pioneer  work, 
Edward  Robinson  and  Eli  Smith.  W.  T.  Lynch  ex¬ 
plored  the  Dead  Sea,  Sir  Charles  Warren  and  Sir 
Charles  Wilson  made  excavations  at  Jerusalem.  A 
German  missionary,  Klein,  found  an  inscribed  stele 
near  the  Jordan  at  the  ancient  Diban,  the  famous 
Moab  stone,  with  the  inscription  of  Mesha,  the  king 
of  Moab.  It  gives  invaluable  information  on  the  re¬ 
lations  between  Moab  and  Israel,  verifying  the 
Bible,  a  most  important  document  from  the  middle 
of  the  ninth  century  B.  C.  A  German  architect 
Schick,  examining  a  tunnel  found  a  Hebrew  inscrip¬ 
tion  on  the  so-called  Siloam  stone  made  by  work¬ 
men  who  tunnelled  through  a  rock  in  the  time  of 
Hezekiah. 

Inscriptions  from  the  New  Testament  times  have 
also  been  found  by  C.  Ganneau,  known  as  the  temple 
barrier  inscription.  Many  interesting  discoveries 
have  been  made  at  the  South  Walls  of  Jerusalem,  the 
tombs  of  Mt.  Gerizim  in  Samaria,  Marissa,  and  at 
Gezer.  Jericho,  Nazareth  and  Shechem,  and  other 
places  have  also  received  their  share  of  attention. 

The  recent  world  war  made  continuation  of  these 
labors  impossible.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  spade 


36 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


will  soon  bring  forth  more  light,  having  a  most  im¬ 
portant  bearing  on  scientific  Bible  stndy.1 


!For  further  details  regarding  Oriental  research  work 
consult:  Ball,  Light  from  the  East;  A.  T.  Clay,  Light  on 
the  Old  Testament  from  Babel;  Max  Mueller,  The  Sacred 
Books  of  the  East;  A.  W.  Ahl,  Outline  of  Pers.  Hist,  based 
on  the  Cuneiform  Inscriptions;  E.  F.  Ellinwood,  Oriental 
Religions  and  Christianity;  A.  V.  W.  Jackson,  Persia, 
Past  and  Present;  F.  Brugsch,  Geschichte  Aegyptens  nach 
den  Denkmaerlern;  F.  S.  Hoffman,  The  Sphere  of  Re¬ 
ligion;  M.  Dods,  The  Bible,  Its  Origin  and  Nature;  James 
Orr,  The  Problems  of  the  Old  Testament;  J.  P.  Peters, 
Bible  and  Spade;  G.  B.  Gray,  Biblical  Archaeology;  C.  A. 
Briggs,  Theological  Encyclopaedia;  J.  H.  Barrows,  The 
Christian  Conquest  of  Asia;  W.  C.  Blaikie,  Bible  History; 
F.  Delitzsch,  Kommentar  zum  Alten  Testament;  Jeremias, 
Das  alte  Testament  im  Lichte  des  alten  Orients;  Geo. 
Smith,  The  Chaldean  Account  of  Genesis;  F.  Weissbach, 
Keilinschriften  der  Achaemeniden;  H.  C.  Tolman,  An¬ 
cient  Persian  Lexicon  and  Texts;  P.  S.  Handcock,  Latest 
Light  on  Bible  Lands;  R.  W.  Rogers,  Cuneiform  Parallels; 
Hastings  Dictionary  of  the  Bible;  Wood  and  Grant,  The 
Bible  as  Literature;  I.  M.  Price,  The  Monuments  and  the 
Old  Testament;  Driver,  Introduction  to  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment;  McCurdy,  History,  Prophecy  and  the  Monuments; 
H.  A.  Harper,  The  Bible  and  Modern  Discoveries;  Kinns, 
Graven  in  the  Rock  ;  Davis,  Genesis  and  Chaldean  Tradi¬ 
tions;  Winckler,  Tel  el-Amarna  Letters;  Evetts,  New 
Light  on  the  Bible  and  Holy  Lands;  Cobern,  New  Archae¬ 
ological  Discoveries;  Deissman,  Light  from  the  Ancient 
East;  Hastings,  Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics. 
J.  H.  Stevenson,  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  Contracts. 
See  also  the  following  publications:  AJP  (American  Journ¬ 
al  of  Philology) ;  JA  (Journal  Asiatique) ;  JAOS  (Journal 
of  the  American  Oriental  Society) ;  JRAS  (Journal  of  the 
Royal  Asiatic  American  Philological  Association) ;  ZDMG 
(Zeitschrift  der  Deutschen  Morgenlaendischen  Gessell- 
schaft) ;  Giornale  della  Society  Asiatica  Italiana;  WZKM 
(Wiener  Zeitschrift  fuer  die  Kunde  des  Morgenlandes). 


THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 


V 

THE  PENTATEUCH 

The  Five  Fold  Book 

Title 

The  Books  of  Moses  received  their  name  partly 
because  of  the  authorship  and  partly  on  account  of 
their  origin  and  subject  matter,  the  chief  characters 
being  Moses  and  his  people.  The  Jews  called  them 
the  THORAH,  Law;  the  Septuagint  and  the  Vul- 
gata  the  Pentateuch,  Five  Fold  Book.  The  Jews 
usually  name  each  book  after  its  beginning.  The 
Septuagint  and  the  Vulgata,  however,  name  it  after 
the  main  contents.  The  names  are :  GENESIS  (Be¬ 
ginning),  EXODUS  (Departure),  LEVITICUS  (The 
Book  of  the  Priesthood),  NUMBERS  (Enumera¬ 
tions),  DEUTERONOMY  (Repetition  of  the  Law). 

Authorship 

The  Pentateuch  does  not  expressly  indicate  Moses 
as  its  author,  but  though  the  author’s  name  is  not 
prefixed,  there  is  reasonable  evidence  that  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  passages  which  he  cannot  pos¬ 
sibly  have  written,  the  book  as  a  whole  is  the  work 
of  the  great  law-giver.  Radical  criticism  sees  in  the 
Pentateuch  a  later  compilation  of  uncertain  origin. 
This  view  which  had  been  accepted  by  many  as  final, 
is  being  seriously  questioned  today  by  sound  schol¬ 
arship,  and  the  traditional  view  has  received  con¬ 
siderable  strength  from  unquestionable  sources. 
Many  seeming  contradictions  are  only  apparent. 
The  use  of  the  two  names  for  God — Elohim  (God), 
and  Jahve  (Lord),  does  not  necessarily  imply  two 
different  authors. 


40 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Against  the  various  theories  of  the  critics,  some 
apparently  reasonable,  some  simply  absurd,  may  be 
arrayed  the  overwhelming  testimony  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament  and  the  tradition  of  the  Jews,  and 
the  Christian  Church.  Joshua  8:31;  2  Kings  14:6; 
Nehemiah  8:1;  2  Chron.  25:4;  35:12;  Ezra  6:18; 
Neh.  13  :1 ;  Isaiah,  1 :2-4 ;  Jeremiah  5  :19  ;  Matt. 
19  :7  ;  22  :24 ;  Mark  12  :26  ;  Luke  5  :14  ;  20  :37  ;  24  :44 ; 
John  1 :17  ;  7  :19  ;  7  :23  et  passim. 

It  cannot  be  questioned  that  the  Pentateuch  was 
in  existence  before  the  time  of  the  Judges  and  the 
period  of  the  Kings.  Who  would  be  better  fitted  to 
accomplish  this  great  work  than  a  personality  like 
Moses?  Jewish  and  Samaritan  tradition  rightly  as¬ 
signed  this  work  to  him  and  the  Christian  Church 
has  joined  it  in  this  on  the  strength  of  the  testimony 
of  the  prophets  and  Christ  himself.  He  as  well  as 
his  followers  made  it  the  basis  of  their  teaching. 

The  whole  literature  and  religious  practice  of 
Israel  rests  upon  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the 
Pentateuch  and  the  internal  difficulties  are  not 
able  to  overthrow  the  unmistakable  evidence  on 
hand.  There  are  passages  in  the  Pentateuch  which 
Moses  has  not  written.  For  instance  Deut.  34  where 
his  death  is  described;  also  Deut.  4:14;  Numbers 
32:41;  Gen.  36:31;  Gen.  14:14;  Ex.  16:35.  These 
are  later  additions.  Nevertheless  they  are  able  in 
no  way  to  deprive  the  Pentateuch  of  its  Mosaic 
character.  In  proof  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  there 
is  also  the  insufficiency  of  evidence  in  support  of 
every  other  hypothesis. 

Aim 

The  aim  of  the  Pentateuch  is  to  present  the  his- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


41 


toric  progressive  revelation  of  God  among  the  hu¬ 
man  race  and  particularly  among  the  covenant  na¬ 
tion  Israel.  The  contents  of  Genesis  which  reveal 
the  history  of  the  race,  and  God’s  dealings  with  it, 
from  the  very  beginnings,  doubtless  rest  upon  the 
oral  tradition  of  the  Fathers,  which  lived  in  their 
memories,  and  passed  on  from  generation  to  genera¬ 
tion.  Exodus  presents  the  birth  of  a  nation,  its 
trials  and  its  triumphs  under  the  favor  of  Jehovah 
and  the  leadership  of  the  great  law  giver.  It  is  the 
document  of  its  covenant  relations  with  God. 
Leviticus  shows  what  kind  of  worship  God  expects 
from  his  people,  a  service,  combining  morals  and  re¬ 
ligion,  pure  statutes  of  law,  as  well  as  a  pure  living. 
Numbers  contains  chiefly  the  expression  of  that  an¬ 
ticipation  which  looks  forward  to  the  promised  land. 
In  Deuteronomy  Moses,  the  liberator,  leader,  mediat¬ 
or,  and  law  giver,  takes  his  farewell  from  the  people. 
The  law  is  repeated.  In  proportion  as  the  people 
observe  it  they  will  have  prosperity ;  in  proportion 
as  they  neglect  and  transgress  it,  they  will  invite 
punishment  and  misery.  Like  a  father  and  spiritual 
adviser  Moses  admonishes  the  nation  to  loyalty  to 
Jehovah  and  the  covenant  made,  and  closes  with 
the  expression  of  confidence  in  the  ultimate  issue  of 
the  great  cause  and  history  of  his  people. 

1.  Genesis 

Title 

Like  the  other  four  divisions  of  the  Pentateuch 
the  First  Book  of  Moses  derives  its  title  in  the  He¬ 
brew  Scripture  from  its  initial  word,  Bereshith.  In 
the  Septuagint  and  the  Vulgata  it  is  designated  by 
a  term  which  defines  its  contents,  GENESIS, 


42 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Origin,  Beginning.  Cosmopolitan  in  its  character,  it 
traces  back  the  origin  of  things  and  man  to  a  hoary 
antiquity.  It  is  not  a  national  history,  for  it  de¬ 
scribes  periods  which  antedate  Jewish  history.  It  is 
not  a  myth,  because  it  is  immensely  superior  in  both 
simplicity  of  construction  and  sublimity  of  concep¬ 
tion.  It  alone  ascends  to  the  idea  of  a  creation  ex 
nihilo  and  a  supreme  intelligence  effecting  that 
creation.  But  no  sooner  is  the  Book  of  Genesis 
opened  than  whole  volumes  of  controversy  as  to  the 
relations  between  science  and  religion,  and  the  sup¬ 
posed  contradictions  between  the  results  of  the  one 
and  the  declarations  of  the  other  arise.  However, 
there  exists  no  valid  reason  why  the  teachings  of 
Genesis  and  many  maxims  of  science  cannot  be 
brought  into  an  approaching  harmony  as  in  the  case 
of  the  six  days,  so  called,  which  in  strictly  scriptural 
terms  may  well  mean  six  periods  of  shorter  or  longer 
duration,  for  the  Psalmist  himself  states  that  “a 
thousand  years  in  thy  (the  Lord’s)  sight  is  but  as 
yesterday  when  it  is  past,  and  as  a  watch  in  the 
night.”  (Psalm  90:4).  While  truth  is  never  many- 
sided,  yet  it  may  be  viewed  from  different  angles. 
Even  the  view  of  a  modified  form  of  development  is 
not  unscriptural. 

Contents 

The  main  division  of  the  Book  may  be  outlined 
as  follows: 

1-11  The  Primeval  History  of  the  Human  Race. 

12-50  The  Primeval  History  of  the  Covenant 
Nation. 

12-26  Abraham  and  Isaak. 

27-50  Jacob  and  Joseph. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


43 


Chapter  1.  “Bereshith  bara  Elohim  eth  ha  sha- 
mayim  ve  eth  ha  arez,  in  the  beginning*  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth.”  This  is  the  voice  that 
speaks  calmly,  out  of  the  depths  of  eternity, 
uttering  a  truth  of  immense  magnitude.  It  is 
with  these  simple  yet  majestic  words  that  the  writer 
introduces  God,  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  The  first 
day  Elohim  created  light,  the  second  the  firmament, 
the  third,  separation  of  water  and  land,  the  fourth 
constellation,  the  fifth  creatures  in  the  water  and 
the  fowls,  the  sixth  animal  and  man.1 


lit  is  not  surprising  that  events  of  such  tremendous  con¬ 
sequence  as  creation,  the  fall  and  the  flood  have  left  their 
impress  on  the  memory  of  the  race.  The  Rigveda  Mandala 
has  this  record:  “In  the  beginning  there  was  neither 
naught  nor  aught :  There  was  neither  day  nor  night  nor 
light  nor  darkness.  Only  the  existent  one  breathed  calmly. 
Next  came  darkness,  gloom  on  gloom.  Next  all  was  water, 
chaos  indiscrete.”  Williams,  Indian  Wisdom,  p.  22.  The 
Chaldean  Tablets  narrate  as  follows:  “When  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  the  ground  of  rock  thou  didst  make,  the  foundations 
of  the  ground  thou  didst  call,  thou  didst  beautify  the 
heaven  ....  thou  didst  give  .  .  .  above  the  sea  which  is  the 
sea  of  .  .  .  In  front  of  the  firmament  which  I  have  made, 
below  the  place  I  strengthen  it  let  there  be  made  also 
earth  for  the  dwelling  of  man.”  Smith  Chaldean  Genesis 
p.  68.  Similarly  also  pages  69-73.  Even  the  Seventh  Day, 
the  Sabbath  was  observed  by  the  Babylonian  with  consid¬ 
erable  strictness  as  the  following  lines  indicate:  “On  the 
seventh  day  he  appointed  a  holy  day,  and  to  cease  from  all 
business  he  commanded.  Then  arose  the  sun  in  the  horizon 
of  heaven  in  glory,”  thus  affirming  that,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  early  Babylonians,  the  institution  of  the  Sabbath  dates 
back  to  creation.  One  of  the  Assyrian  tablets  contains 
an  account  of  a  revolt  in  heaven,  which,  though  not  re¬ 
corded  in  Genesis,  is  alluded  to  in  other  parts  of  the  scrip¬ 
ture  (Jude  6) :  “The  god  of  holy  songs,  lord  of  religion  and 
worship  seated  a  thousand  singers  and  musicians;  and 
established  a  choral  band  who  to  his  hymn  were  to  re¬ 
spond  in  multitudes  .  .  .  With  a  loud  cry  of  contempt  they 
broke  up  this  holy  song,  spoiling,  confusing,  confounding 
his  hymn  of  praise.  The  god  of  a  bright  crown,  with  a 
wish  to  summon  his  adherents,  sounded  a  trumpet  blast 


44 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


'  2.  The  institution  of  the  Sabbath  follows.  Adam, 
man  is  made  out  of  clay,1  becomes  a  living  soul  by 
means  of  a  breath  of  life  breathed  into  his  nostrils. 
Paradise  is  described  with  its  four  streams,  the  tree 
of  life  and  the  tree  of  knowledge,  the  woman  Eve, 
and  the  state  of  innocence. 

3.  Man’s  Fall.2  The  serpent  is  cursed.  The  seed 
is  promised.  Man  is  punished  and  loses  Paradise. 

4.  Sin  is  growing.  Cain  and  Abel,  Lamech,  Seth 
Adam’s  third  son  through  whom  faith  in  God  is  re¬ 
gained  upon  earth,  are  told  about. 

5.  Genealogy,  age  and  death  of  the  Patriarchs 
from  Adam  unto  Noah,  Adam,  Seth,  Enos,  Henoch, 
Methusaleh  (the  oldest  man),  Lamech,  Shem,  Ham, 
and  Japhet,  is  contained  in  this  chapter. 


which  would  wake  the  dead  which  to  these  rebel  angels 
prohibits  return.  He  stopped  their  service,  and  sent  them 
to  the  gods  who  were  his  enemies.  In  their  room  he  creat¬ 
ed  mankind.  The  first  who  received  life  dwelt  along  with 
him.”  Transaction  of  the  Biblical  Archaeological  Society 
vol.  IV,  p.  349.  The  Tahitans  had  a  song  which  ran  like 
this:  “He  was;  Toaroa  was  his  name,  he  existed  in  space, 
no  earth,  no  heaven,  no  men.  Toaroa  the  great  orderer,  is 
the  origin  of  the  earth,  he  has  no  father,  no  posterity.” 
Ellingood,  Oriental  Religions  and  Christianity,  p.  270.  The 
Icelandic  Northmen  sang  thus:  “Twas  the  morning  of  time, 
when  yet  naught  was,  nor  sand  nor  sea  was  there,  nor 
cooling  streams.  Earth  was  not  formed  nor  heaven  above. 
A  yawning  gap  was  there  and  grass  nowhere.”  Many 
other  quotations  might  be  noted  here,  all  writing  in  sim¬ 
ilar  manner  about  creation  and  the  first  abode  of  man. 

tThe  Egyptians  according  to  tradition  believed  that  they 
were  formed  out  of  the  clay  of  the  soil.  Similar  traditions 
are  found  elsewhere. 

2A  Budhist  legend  represents  man  as  first  spotlessly  pure 
and  happy.  One  day,  however,  he  ate  from  a  strange  sub¬ 
stance  lying  on  the  ground  and  he  induced  others  to  eat 
also.  Now  they  knew  good  and  evil  and  their  happy 
estate  was  lost.  Wickedness  now  abounded  and  darkness 
came  upon  them.  Hardy,  Manual  of  Buddhism,  p.  66  .  An 
old  Mongolian  legend  tells  that  man  transgressed  by  eating 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


45 


6.  Wickedness  of  the  world  increases.  Noah 
builds  the  Ark. 

7-8.  The  flood.1 

9.  God  makes  a  new  covenant  with  Noah.  Noah 

is  drunken  and  mocked  bv  his  son  Canaan.  The 

«/ 

curse.  Shem  is  blessed. 

a  pistache  nut.  As  a  punishment,  he  and  all  his  posterity 
came  under  the  power  of  sin  and  death,  and  were  subjected 
to  toil  and  suffering.  Ebrard,  Apologetics,  vol.  II.  In  the 
Babylonian  tradition  it  is  a  dragon  which  leads  man  to 
sin  and  misery.  Chaldean  Genesis  pp.  87-91.  In  Ancient 
Persia  Meschia  and  Meschiane  were  deceived  in  their  hap¬ 
piness  and  drawn  away  from  Ormuzd  by  the  power  of 
Ahriman.  Ahl,  Outline  of  Pers.  Hist,  based  on  the  Cunei¬ 
form  Inscript,  pp.  69-78.  Rawlinson,  Hist.  Illust.  of  the 
0.  T.  p.  13.  In  the  Hindu  tradition  Brama  free  from  guilt, 
perfect,  endowed  with  righteousness  contemplating  the 
glory  of  Vishnu  was  seduced  by  Naga,  the  great  serpent. 
But  ultimately  Naga  was  destroyed  by  Krishma  who 
trampled  on  his  head.  Kitto’s  Daily  Bible  Illustrations. 
The  Occident  also  relates  the  Fall.  The  story  of  Pandora 
by  Hesiod;  the  Apples  of  the  Hesperides;  Apollo  and  the 
Python;  Virgil;  Tibullus,  and  Ovid;  though  the  Fall  is 
more  gradual,  all  embody  the  remembrance  of  the  early 
days  of  the  race  with  its  tremendous  events. 

iNo  event  in  the  history  of  Scripture  has  been  so  remark¬ 
ably  preserved  in  ancient  records  as  the  Flood.  It  occurs 
alike  among  the  Semitic,  the  Aryan  and  Turanian  races. 
In  the  Babylonian  monuments  the  god  Hea  appeared  and 
announced  the  purpose  of  the  gods  to  destroy  mankind. 
Hasisadra,  perhaps  representing  Noah,  first  refuses  to 
build  the  ship,  but  afterward  obeyed  the  divine  command. 
Then  the  flood  destroys  all  things  till  it  ended  on  the 
seventh  day.  After  having  sent  forth  a  dove,  then  a 
swallow  and  finally  a  raven  Hasisadra  built  an  altar  and 
poured  out  a  libation.  Chaldean  Genesis  ch.  III.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  Egypt  the  god  Ra  became  disgusted  with  mankind 
and  resolved  to  destroy  it.  In  fact,  there  are  several 
deluges  mentioned  in  Egyptian  literature.  In  Hindu  folk¬ 
lore  the  good  Satyavrata  is  saved  by  means  of  a  ship, 
which  Vishnu  had  sent  him.  The  Greek  story  of  Deucalion, 
given  first  in  Pindar,  and  the  numerous  traditions  of  the 
American  Indians,  the  Esquimaux,  Astecs,  Mixtees,  Zapo- 
tees  and  others,  have  their  Noahs  embodying  the  recollec¬ 
tion  of  a  fact  in  which  all  mankind  was  concerned.  Rawl¬ 
inson,  Hist.  Illust. 


46 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


10.  The  generations  of  Noah.  The  sons  of  Shem 
(Middle  Asia).  The  sons  of  Ham  (Canaan  and 
Africa).  The  sons  of  Japhet  (Northern  Asia  and 
Europe).  Nimrod  the  first  Monarch. 

11.  The  building  of  the  tower,1  Confusion  of 
tongues,2  Terah  emigrates  from  Ur3  to  Haran,  are 
recorded  here. 

12.  The  call  of  Abraham.  The  promise.  The  jour 
ney  to  Canaan  and  Egypt. 

13.  Abram  and  Lot  return  from  Egypt.  They 
part  asunder.  Lot  goes  to  Sodom,  Abram  to  Hebron. 

14.  The  battle  of  the  four  kings4  against  five.  Lot 
is  taken  prisoner.  Is  rescued.  Abram  is  blessed  by 
Melchizedek.5 

l-The  Babylonians  also  have  a  record  of  this  happening. 
“When  the  building  approached  the  sky,  the  gods  called  in 
the  aid  of  the  winds  and  cast  it  to  the  ground.  Up  to  this 
time  all  men  had  used  the  same  speech,  but  now  there  was 
set  upon  them  a  confusion  of  many  and  diverse  tongues.” 
Again:  “Babylon  corruptly  to  sin  went,  and  small  and 
great  mingled  on  the  mound.  In  his  anger  also  the  secret 
counsel  he  poured  out,  to  scatter  abroad  his  face  he  set. 
He  gave  a  command  to  make  strange  their  speech,  their 
progress  was  impeded.”  Chaldean  Genesis,  p.  160.  Greek 
traditions  have  this  version:  The  Giants  attempted  to  pile 
Mt.  Ossa  upon  Pelion,  in  order  to  reach  Mt.  Olympus,  which 
was  the  supposed  residence  of  the  gods.  The  gods  how¬ 
ever,  frustrated  this  plan  and  dispersed  the  impious  con¬ 
spirators.  Based  on  recent  explorations  the  belief  is  grow¬ 
ing  that  the  plain  of  Shinar  is  the  centre  of  distribution 
of  the  race. 

2Philological  research  supports  the  idea  that  originally 
there  was  one  mother  tongue  spoken  and  that  all  languages 
sprang  from  a  common  source.  It  is  established  beyond 
doubt  that  the  various  existing  languages  belong  to  the 
three  great  families:  The  Semitic,  the  Aryan  and  the 
Turanian. 

SThe  city  of  Ur  was  known  among  the  Babylonians  as 
the  city  of  the  moon-god. 

4Chedorlaomer  has  been  identified  with  Kudur-nakhunta 
appearing  in  an  Assyrian  Inscription. 

51s  generally  recognized  as  historic. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


47 


15.  God  encourages  Abram  and  a  son  is  promised 
him.  He  has  faith.  God  renews  his  promise  regard¬ 
ing  his  posterity. 

16.  Sarai  continues  barren.  Ishmael  is  born  to 
Abram  by  Hagar.  Hagar ’s  flight  and  the  angel’s 
visit  is  told. 

17.  God  renews  the  covenant.  Abram  changed  to 
Abraham.  Circumcision  is  instituted.  Sarai  is 
changed  to  Sarah. 

18.  The  Lord  appears  at  Mamre.  The  destruction 
of  Sodom  is  revealed.  Abraham  makes  intercession 
for  its  people. 

19.  The  destruction  of  the  two  cities  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  takes  place.  Lot  is  sent  into  the  moun¬ 
tains  for  safety.  In  place  of  the  flourishing  valley 
of  Siddim  the  Dead  Sea  comes  into  being.  The  in¬ 
habitants  undoubtedly  needed  a  manifestation  of 
God’s  justice  in  order  to  arrest  their  wickedness.1 

20.  Abraham  and  Abimelech.  Abraham  journeys 
into  the  land  of  the  Philistians.  He  denies  his  wife 
and  Abimelech  reproved  him  for  her  sake ;  finally  he 
restores  her  to  Abraham. 

21.  Isaak’s  birth  and  the  expulsion  of  Ishmael. 
When  Abraham  was  109  years  old,  Isaak  is  born. 
Hagar  and  her  fourteen  year  old  boy  are  expelled 
from  their  master’s  home.  When  the  boy  was  about 

*An  Acadian  Poem  described  a  rain  of  fire  similar  in 
character  and  effect  to  that  which  destroyed  the  two  cities 
of  the  plain.  “An  overthrow  from  the  midst  of  the  deep 
there  came  the  fated  punishment  from  heaven.  A  storm 
like  a  plummet  the  earth  overwhelmed  ....  in  heaven  and 
earth  like  a  thunder  storm  it  had  rained  .  .  .  their  bodies 
consumed,  the  city  its  foundations  it  defiled  .  .  .  .”  Sayce, 
Records  of  the  Past,  vol.  XI,  p.  117. 


48 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


to  die  for  thirst  an  angel  appears  and  reveals  a  well 
of  water  and  thus  comforts  the  anxious  mother. 

22.  Abraham  is  tempted  to  offer  Isaak,  but  he, 
having  stood  the  test  of  faith  and  severe  trial,  is 
provided  by  God  with  a  sacrifice  at  the  last  moment, 
and  Mt.  Moriah,  which  God  had  elected  for  this 
sacrifice,  became  sanctified  through  this  deed  as  a 
holy  mountain  where  the  temple  of  the  Most  Holy 
was  built  later  by  Solomon. 

23.  Sarah  dies  at  the  age  of  127  years  at  Hebron 
and  Abraham  secures  a  place  of  burial. 

24.  Abraham  sends  his  servant  Eliezer  to  seek  a 
wife  for  Isaak.  Eliezer  travels  to  Haran  and  asks 
for  the  hand  of  Rebecca,  the  niece  of  his  master.  He 
obtains  the  object  of  his  quest  and  the  bride  is  in¬ 
troduced  to  the  home  and  place  of  Sarah. 

25.  Abraham  dies  at  the  age  of  175  years  and  is 
buried  beside  his  wife  at  Hebron.  The  Arabs  be¬ 
come  the  descendants  of  Ishmael  and  two  sons  come 
to  the  home  of  Isaak,  Esau  and  Jacob.  Esau  sells 
his  birthright. 

26.  Isaak  moves  temporarily  to  the  land  of  the 
Philistians  on  account  of  a  famine. 

27.  Jacob  through  guile  obtains  the  blessing  from 
his  father ;  Esau  threatens  to  kill  him,  therefore  the 
mother  sends  Jacob  to  her  brother  Laban. 

28.  Jacob  flees  to  Mesopotamia,  sees  in  a  dream 
the  heavenly  ladder,  anoints  the  stone  at  Bethel  and 
makes  a  vow. 

29.  Jacob  arrives  at  Haran  and  meets  Rachel,  is 
deceived  with  Leah,  but  finally  marries  Rachel  also. 

30.  Jacob’s  family  increases  and  he  executes  a 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


49 


policy  whereby  he  becomes  rich,  but  this  causes  the 
displeasure  of  his  relatives. 

31.  Jacob  flees  from  Laban,  but  is  overtaken  by 
his  uncle.  The  parting  however,  is  peaceful. 

32-33.  Jacob  is  reconciled  with  his  brother  Esau 
after  God  had  prevailed  over  him  and  called  him 
Israel,  the  prince  of  God. 

34-35.  Bloodshed  at  Shechem,  Rachael’s  and 
Isaak’s  death  and  burial  in  the  family  burial  place 
at  Hebron.  The  twelve  sons  of  Jacob. 

36.  Esau’s  descendants,  the  Edomites  live  in  the 
Mountains  of  Seir,  and  the  Amalekites  in  Southern 
Palestine. 

37.  Joseph  preferred  to  his  brothers  by  Jacob. 
Joseph  has  several  dreams;  and  is  finally  sold  for 
20  pieces  of  silver  at  Dothan.1  He  is  brought  to 
Egypt  and  sold  to  Potiphar  as  a  slave. 

38.  Judah’s  and  Thamar’s  sin. 

39.  Joseph  resists  the  temptation  in  his  master’s 
home,  is  falsely  accused  and  sent  to  prison. 

40.  The  Butler  and  the  Baker  of  the  king  have  a 
dream  and  Joseph  interprets  their  dreams. 

41.  Pharaoh2  has  two  dreams,  Joseph  is  the  only 
one  found  to  be  able  to  interpret  them.  He  gives 
counsel  to  the  king  and  is  made  co-regent  in  Egypt.3 

bHere  is  found  even  today  a  green  hill  bearing  the  name 
of  Dothan,  and  the  great  road  from  Beisan  and  Jezreel  to 
Egypt  still  passes  through  this  plain. 

2Confer:  Orr,  The  Problems  of  the  Old  Testament  p  418-21 

According  to  Brugsch,  (Geschichte  Egypten’s  nach  den 
Denkmaelern)  an  Egyptian  inscription  found  in  the  tomb 
of  El-Kab  states  that  a  governor  named  Baba  during  a 
great  famine  coming  over  his  people,  distributed  grain 
among  them  which  he  had  put  up  in  the  store  houses.  This 
Baba  lived  about  the  time  of  Joseph.  Other  data  and  de- 


50 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


42.  The  Sons  of  Jacob  journey  to  Egypt  to  buy 
provisions  and  are  imprisoned  by  Joseph  as  spies, 
but  later  released. 

43.  They  return  to  Egypt  with  Benjamin  and  are 
entertained  by  Joseph. 

44.  Joseph  has  a  policy  to  detain  his  brothers,  but 
Juda  makes  humble  supplication  to  Joseph. 

45.  Joseph  makes  himself  known  to  his  brothers. 
They  are  terrified  at  the  thought  that  now  he  might 
take  revenge  on  them  for  their  past  deed.  Joseph, 
however,  allays  their  fears  and  requests  them  to 
hasten  back  home  and  bring  their  father  also  to 
Egypt. 

46-47.  Jacob  begins  his  journey  to  Egypt  and, 
after  having  been  presented  to  the  king,  is  given  the 
best  part  of  the  country,  the  land  of  Ramses  as  a 
dwelling  place.  (Goshen). 

48.  Jacob  becomes  ill,  and  blesses  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh. 

49-50.  Jacob  dies  at  the  age  of  147  years  and,  in 
accordance  with  his  will,  is  buried  in  the  family 
burial  place  at  Hebron.1 


tails  correspond  with  the  description  in  Genesis.  The 
identity  of  the  time  of  Baba  and  of  Joseph  is  generally 
conceded  by  scholars  of  repute. 

tThe  travellers  in  Palestine  find  that  at  different  places 
the  Mohammedans  have  built  tombs  for  the  patriarch.  The 
actual  grave  is  said  to  be  below  a  mosque  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah.  It  is  said  to  have  no  openings.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  here  the  remains  of  Jacob,  at  least,  as 
they  were  embalmed  in  Egypt,  lie  undisturbed  even  now. 
For  detailed  discussion  of  Egypt,  the  Land,  its  Inhabitants, 
Culture,  Plistory  and  Monuments  attention  is  called  to  the 
wealth  of  literature  on  Egypt  existing  in  the  various 
countries. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


51 


References  to  Genesis  in  the  New  Testament: 


Chapt.  1,1 — Hebr.  11,3. 

3.4— 2  Cor.  11,3. 
3,6—1  Tim.  2,14. 

3,15 — John  8,44. 

4.4—  Hebr.  11,4. 
4,8—1  John  3,12. 
5,24— Hebr.  11,5. 
6,12 — 1  Peter  3,20. 
6,14— Hebr.  11,7. 

7.4—  Matt.  24,37  ff 
12,1— Hebr.  11,8. 
14,18— Hebr.  7,1. 


Chapt.  15,6 — Rom.  4,3. 

16.15—  Gal.  4,22. 
18,12 — 1  Peter  3,6. 

19.25 —  2  Peter  2,6. 

19.26—  Luke  17,32. 

22.1.10—  Heb  11,17 
25,33— Hebr.  12,16 

48.15—  Hebr.  11,21 

49.10 —  Matt.  2,6. 
50,24— Hebr.  11,22 


2.  Exodus 

Title 

This  book  derives  its  name  from  the  title  which  it 
has  received  in  the  Septuagint  Translation,  and  is 
the  second  written  by  Moses.  The  word  Exodus 
means  ‘ 'departure.”  The  book  gives  an  account  of 
the  Israelites  leaving  the  land  of  slavery,  Egypt, 
under  the  leadership  of  Moses,  and  their  organiza¬ 
tion  as  a  nation. 

Contents 

It  tells  the  story  of  the  birth  of  a  nation,  the  de¬ 
velopment  of  a  tribe  into  a  national  unit.  God 
adopts  Israel  as  his  own  peculiar  people  to  whom  he 
gave  such  laws  as  the  welfare  of  their  national 
character  demanded.  Historically  the  book  possibly 
contains  the  events  of  about  360  years,  which  is  the 
interval  assumed  between  the  death  of  Joseph  and 
the  giving  of  the  Law  at  Sinai.  The  rapid  increase 
of  the  populace  caused  the  alarm  of  the  Egyptian 


52 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


monarch  who  took  drastic  measures  to  prevent  a 
threatening  danger.  Amidst  the  oppression  Moses 
is  born.  He  becomes  the  liberator  of  his  race.  Forty 
years  of  wanderings  in  the  wilderness  followed.  In 
the  legislative  aspect  the  book  occupies  the  unique 
position  of  being  the  very  source  and  origin  alike  of 
the  moral  and  ceremonial  law.  The  moral  law  has 
served  as  a  foundation  of  all  law  of  present  day 
civilization. 

The  book  may  be  divided  into  two  parts: 

1-19.  The  Deliverance  from  Egypt. 

20-40.  The  Law  and  Its  Institutions. 

Chapter  1.  Israel  grows  in  numbers,  but  a  new 
dynasty  arises  in  Egypt1  to  whom  the  services  of 
Joseph  are  unknown.  The  Israelites  are  oppressed 
by  hard  service  and  since  they  still  increase  their 
newly  born  male  infants  are  ordered  to  be  thrown 
into  the  river  Nile. 

2.  Moses2  is  saved  through  God’s  providence  and 
receives  his  education  in  the  palace  of  the  king.  His 
passionate  anger  endangers  his  life  and  forced  to 
flee  for  safety  to  the  peninsula  Sinai  he  enters  the 
service  of  a  Median  priest. 

iCompare  the  amazing  wealth  of  literature  dealing  with 
this  phase  of  the  history  of  Egypt. 

2Sayce  in  his  Babylonian  Literature,  p.  10  relates  that 
the  Assyrian  records  contain  a  somewhat  similar  story  of 
Sargon  I  an  early  Assyrian  king. 

“Sargon,  the  mighty  king,  the  king  of  Agade  am  I, 

My  mother  was  lowly,  my  father  I  knew  not, 

And  the  brother  of  my  father  dwells  in  the  mountains. 

My  city  is  Azupiranu  which  lies  on  the  bank  of  the  Euphrates 
My  lowly  mother  conceived  me,  in  secret  she  brought 
me  forth. 

She  set  me  in  a  basket  of  rushes,  with  bitumen  she  closed 
my  door; 

She  cast  me  into  the  river,  which  rose  not  over  me.” 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


53 


3.  Forty  years  Moses  tends  the  flocks  of  his  father- 
in-law  Jethro.  But  when  he  was  80  years  of  age 
Jehovah  calls  him  in  the  burning  bush  at  Horeb  to 
become  the  deliverer  of  his  people. 

4.  Moses  is  reluctant  to  undertake  the  mission. 
But  fortified  with  divine  promises  and  having  wit¬ 
nessed  the  extraordinary  power  of  the  Lord  in  signs 
and  wonders  and  assured  of  the  help  of  his  brother 
Aaron  he  at  length  accepted  the  appointment. 

5.  Moses  before  Pharaoh,1  finds  him  obstinate. 
The  king  replies:  “I  do  not  know  your  Lord,  neither 
will  I  let  Israel  go.”  The  task  of  the  Israelites  is 
increased. 

6.  God  renews  his  promise  to  Moses,  who  receives 
a  new  comamndment  to  appear  before  the  king. 

7-10.  The  nine  plagues2  are  sent  to  overcome  the 

lrThe  new  king  is  thought  to  have  been  Meneptah  II 
(Brugsch  Geschichte  Egyptians  nach  den  Denkmaelern  II 
128).  The  name  Israel  appears  on  an  Egyptian  monument 
at  Pithom,  indicating  that  Israel  sojourned  in  Goshen. 

2The  Egyptian  sorcerers  are  said  to  have  performed  the 
same  miracles  as  Moses  did.  From  2  Tim  III, 8  we  learn 
the  name  of  two  of  them,  Jannes  and  Jambres.  (See  also 
M.  Chabar:  Le  Papyrus  Magique). 

The  first  plague  was  aimed  against  the  superstition  that 
the  god  Nilus  was  a  rival  of  heaven,  since  he  watered  the 
earth  without  rain.  A  remarkable  feature  of  the  Egyptian 
religion  was  the  idolatrous  veneration  for  animals.  The 
number  of  sacred  animals  was  indeed  large.  The  frog 
and  the  beetle  became  a  cause  of  most  intense  suffering 
and  annoyance.  The  murrain  and  the  boils  doubtless  at¬ 
tacked  the  sacred  bull  of  Apis  and  the  animals  in  general. 
The  cattle  were  supposed  to  be  under  the  protection  of  the 
Egyptian  gods.  But  the  king  hardened  his  heart.  How 
can  such  obstinacy  be  explained?  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  kings  were  singularly  proud,  and  for  a  descendant 
of  a  slave  nation  to  make  such  demands  was  at  least  very 
unusual  and  to  submit  was  no  doubt  considered  an  act  of 
deep  humiliation.  Why  should  he  not  naturally  resist  with 
all  possible  determination? 


54 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


obstinacy  of  Pharaoh.  1.  The  water  of  the  Nile 
turned  into  blood.  2.  Frogs.  3.  Lice,  or  gnats. 
4.  Flies  and  beetles.  5.  Murrain.  6.  Boils.  7.  Hail. 
8.  Locusts.  9.  Darkness. 

11.  Preparations  for  the  Passover  are  made  in 
Israel,  and  the  first  born  is  threatened. 

12.  The  rite  of  the  Passover  is  executed,  and  the 
first  born  in  Egypt  is  killed.  For  a  time  Pharaoh  re¬ 
lents.  Moses  and  his  people  are  bidden  to  go. 

13.  Going  before  them  in  a  miraculous  pillar 
of  cloud  and  fire,  God  leads  them  from  Rameses  to 
Succoth,  then  to  Etham  on  the  edge  of  the  wilder¬ 
ness  near  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea.1 

14.  As  they  approach  its  northern  end  and  fear  to 
be  hemmed  in  by  the  pursuing  Egyptians,  a  north 
wind,  driving  back  the  waves  of  the  Red  Sea  makes 
a  path  for  the  Israelites.  However,  when  the  Egyp¬ 
tians  rush  in  after  their  former  slaves  the  waves  of 
the  sea  return  and  all  of  Pharaoh’s  hosts  are  de¬ 
stroyed. 

15.  Moses’  song.  The  people  want  water  and  the 
bitter  waters  of  Marah  are  sweetened.  Rest  is  taken 
under  Elim’s  palm  grove. 

16.  The  people  arrive  at  Sin  and  murmur  for  want 
of  bread.  Quails  and  manna  are  sent. 

17.  A  further  advance  leads  to  Rephidim  where 
the  nation’s  discontent  grows  to  chiding  and  strife 
in  which  Moses  is  almost  stoned.  New  enemies  ap¬ 
pear  in  the  Amalekites.  But  Israel  through  the 

iNo  subject  has  occasioned  greater  discussion  than  the 
route  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt  across  the  Red  Sea. 
Brugsch  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  passage  took  place 
through  an  arm  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  near  Port  Said. 
(The  Exodus  and  the  Egyptian  Monuments). 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


55 


prayer  of  Moses,  Hur  and  Aaron  supporting  his  up¬ 
lifted  arms,  wins  the  victory. 

18.  Jethro’s  wise  counsel  is  followed  and  judges 
are  appointed  for  the  thousands,  hundreds,  fifties 
and  tens. 

19.  Israel  reaches  Mount  Sinai.1  Preparations  for 
the  giving  of  the  law  are  made  and  the  nation  is 
dedicated  to  the  Lord  as  a  priestly  people. 

20.  The  Decalogue,2  or  the  Ten  Fundamental  Com¬ 
mandments  are  given. 

21-23.  Further  laws  and  ordinances  are  prescribed 
for  the  Jewish  nation. 

24.  Moses  is  called  up  into  the  mountain.  The 
people  promise  obedience.  The  covenant  is  sealed 
by  sacrifice. 

25-31.  Ordinances  in  regard  to  the  Holy  Court  or 
the  Sanctuary  are  given. 

32.  The  people  make  themselves  a  golden  calf  and 
worship  it. 

33-34.  Moses  mediates  between  them  and  God  and 
new  tablets  of  the  law  are  given.  God’s  holiness  re- 


!The  mountains  assume  here  that  bold,  and  lofty,  and 
fearfully  bare  aspect,  which  gives  them  their  peculiar 
character  of  majesty  and  desolation.  But  which  one  of  all 
of  them  is  the  real  Mount  Sinai,  where  God  manifested  his 
glory  and  gave  his  holy  law  is  not  definitely  known. 

2The  Decalogue,  meaning  the  ten  words,  is  again  found 
in  Deut.  5.  For  details  regarding  the  law  of  Moses  and  of 
The  Babylonian  code  of  Hammurabi,  see  Clay,  Light  on 
the  Old  Testament  from  Babel.  The  Code  of  Hammurabi, 
King  of  Babylon,  dates  back  to  2100  B.  C.  The  laws  are 
engraved  on  a  shaft  of  stone  (diorite),  nearly  eight  feet 
high.  The  writing  extends  entirely  around  the  shaft  and 
takes  up  more  than  thirty-six  hundred  lines.  Hammu¬ 
rabi’s  code  insists  upon  justice  to  the  widow,  the  orphan 
and  the  poor.  But  it  also  contains  many  of  the  old  ideas 
of  punishment  based  on  the  principle  of  “an  eye  for  an 
eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.’’ 


56 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


fleets  in  the  face  of  Moses  so  that  the  people  cannot 
behold  him. 


35-40.  The  completion  of  the  Tabernacle  and  its 
arrangement  is  minutely  prescribed.  The  tabernacle 
was  arranged  in  such  a  manner  that  it  could  be 
taken  apart  without  difficulty.  The  innermost  sanc¬ 
tuary  of  the  Most  Holy  place  contained  the  tables  of 
the  law.  Above  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  the 
mercy  seat  on  which  once  a  year  the  High  Priest 
sprinkled  the  blood  of  atonement.  On  the  mercy 
seat  facing  each  other  kneeling,  were  two  golden 
cherubim  with  outspread  wings.  The  outer  sanc¬ 
tuary,  or  the  holy  place  was  separated  from  the  in¬ 
ner  by  a  curtain.  Here  stood  the  various  pieces  of 
furniture  used  in  the  sacrificial  rites  by  the  priests. 
In  the  court  of  the  people  outside  stood  the  altar  of 
the  burnt  offerings.  The  Tabernacle  was  covered 
with  curtain  of  high  value.  The  whole  was  to  rep¬ 
resent  God  as  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  his  people, 
and  accordingly  its  place  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
encampment. 

References  in  the  New  Testament: 


Chapt  1 — Acts  7. 

2,2— Hebr.  11,23 
14,22—1  Cor.  10,2 
16,15— John  6,31-49 
17,6—1  Cor.  10,4 


Chapt.  19,6 — 1  Peter  2,9 

19,12— Hebr.  12,18-20 
24,6,8— Hebr.  9,19-21 
26,33— Hebr.  9,2 
32,6—1  Cor.  10,7 
40,5,20— Hebr.  9,4 


3.  Leviticus 

Title 

The  name  signifies  “that  of  the  Levites,”  the 
priestly  tribe  of  Israel.  It  forms  the  centre  of  the 
five  books  of  Moses.  Closely  attached  to  it  are  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


57 


two  books  Exodus  and  Numbers.  Outside  of 
them  stand  Genesis  and  Deuteronomy. 

Contents 

Leviticus  treats  of  the  offices  and  duties  to  be  dis¬ 
charged  by  the  Levites  and  the  religious  rites  to  be 
performed  on  behalf  of  the  people,  and  also  contains 
some  legislation.  It  has  a  distinctive  character  in 
the  general  exclusion  from  it  of  history  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  the  death  of  Nadab  and  Abihu  and  the 
stoning  of  the  blasphemer.  The  book  ends  with 
exhortations  to  obedience  and  an  appendix  on  vows. 

Division 

I- 7.  Sacrifices. 

8-10.  The  Priesthood. 

II- 22.  Purification  and  Defilement. 

23-27.  The  Festivals. 

Chapt.  1.  Five  different  sacrifices  are  distinguish¬ 
ed  in  this  law  of  oblations.  Burnt-offerings  repre¬ 
sent  the  idea  of  absolute  dedication  to  God  of  the 
things  offered  him. 

2.  Meat-offerings,  the  giver  of  all  bounty  is  ac¬ 
knowledged. 

3.  Peace-offerings  are  the  expression  of  the  soul 
that  is  satisfied  in  the  Lord. 

4.  Sin-offerings  symbolize  the  expiation  of  sin. 

5.  Trespass-offerings  carry  within  themselves  the 
thought  of  complete  atonement. 

6-7.  Instructions  are  given  how  to  bring  these  sac¬ 
rifices  to  God. 

8.  The  priests  are  consecrated,  they  are  to  be  holy, 
arrayed  in  spotless  garments  and  anointed  with  oil 
as  receiving  divine  unction. 


58 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


9.  The  first  sacrifice  of  the  High  Priest  Aaron  is 
consumed  by  holy  fire. 

10.  Aaron's  sons,  possibly  in  a  drunken  condition, 
bring  strange  fire  upon  the  altar  and  in  consequence 
of  their  sin  die.  Their  father  and  brothers  are  not 
permitted  to  mourn  over  them. 

11.  Description  of  clean  and  unclean  things. 

12.  Prescriptions  for  purification  after  child  birth. 

13-15.  Further  enjoinment  in  regard  to  purifica¬ 
tions  after  sickness. 

16-17.  The  annual  day  of  Atonement  is  instituted. 
The  High  Priest  first  brings  sacrifices  for  himself. 
After  that  for  the  congregation.  Such  sacrifice  is  ac¬ 
cepted  at  the  mercy  seat  of  God  and  is  borne  away 
by  the  scape-goat. 

18-22.  The  Laws  of  Purification  are  followed  by 
the  Laws  of  Personal  Holiness.  In  all  relations  be¬ 
tween  God  and  man  right  conduct  of  living  is  of 
greatest  importance.  Punishment  is  the  natural 
consequence. 

23.  1.  Festival  is  the  Sabbath.  2.  The  Pass- 
over  on  the  10  of  the  month  Nisan.  3.  Pentecost  50 
days  after  the  Passover.  4.  The  Civil  New  Year  on 
the  first  of  the  month  Tishri.  5.  The  Day  of  Atone¬ 
ment  on  the  10th  of  Tishri.  6.  The  feast  of  the 
Tabernacle  on  the  15th  of  Tishri. 

24.  The  oil  for  the  lamps,  the  shewbread,  and  pun¬ 
ishment  of  a  blasphemer  are  described. 

25.  The  great  Sabbath  of  the  Seventh  Year  is  to 
be  observed  and  the  Fiftieth  year  is  to  be  known  as 
the  Year  of  Jubilee  in  which  freedom  from  all  op¬ 
pression  and  the  redemption  of  land  and  houses  and 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


59 


compassion  for  the  poor  and  needy  are  made  the 
chief  duty  of  the  citizen. 

26.  Blessing  is  promised  to  the  God  fearing  and 
a  curse  to  the  wicked. 

27.  Holiness  of  the  vows  is  emphasized. 

References  in  the  New  Testament: 

Chapt.  4,21 — Hebr.  13,  11-13  Chapt.  19,17 — Matthew  18,15 
12,2,6— Luke  2,22-24  19,18— Gal.  5,14 

14,1 — Matthew  8,4  20,10 — John  8,5 

16.14—  Hebr.  9,13-14  20,10—1  Cor.  6,16 

18,5 — Rom.  10,5  24,20 — Matthew  5,38 

19.15 —  James  2,1 

4.  Numbers 

Title 

Numbers  gains  its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  re¬ 
cords  two  enumerations  of  the  people,  one  at  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  wilderness  journey  and  the  other  at 
the  end  of  it.  It  also  tells  of  a  number  of  incidents 
happening  during  the  forty  years’  wanderings  in  the 
wilderness.  In  this  book  there  is  also  found  a  large 
number  of  fragments  of  ancient  poetry  of  rare 
beauty.  Reference  is  made  to  the  songs  from 
“the  Book  of  the  wars  of  Jehovah”  and  the  ancient, 
pastoral  song  of  the  well. 

Contents 

Preparations  for  the  Great  March  are  made ;  these 
include  the  first  census,  a  minute  description  and 
repetition  of  some  of  the  Levitical  Laws  and  the  ac¬ 
count  of  the  itinerary  from  Sinai  to  the  borders  of 
the  Promised  Land. 

Division 

I- 10.  The  Last  Days  at  Sinai. 

II- 22.  The  Journey  to  Moab. 

22-36.  In  the  Land  of  Moab. 


60 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Chapt.  1.  The  commandment  to  number  the  peo¬ 
ple  is  given  and  obeyed.  The  Sons  of  Levi  are  ex¬ 
empted  from  military  service. 

2-10.  The  various  tribes  are  grouped  in  their  order 
and  assigned  their  places.  Various  enactments  for 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  are  given. 

11.  The  people  murmur  against  Moses  and  God 
and  are  punished  by  fire  and  plague. 

12.  Aaron  and  Miriam  manifest  a  rebellious  spirit 
against  Moses  and  Miriam  is  punished  with  leprosy. 
But  Moses  in  his  great  meekness  prays  for  her 
recovery. 

13.  Spies  are  sent  into  Canaan  who  return  with  a 
glowing  account  of  the  land,  but  are  overcome  with 
fear  on  account  of  its  inhabitants. 

14.  A  new  rebellion  against  Moses  breaks  out  and 
the  Lord  threatens  to  destroy  the  whole  nation. 
Moses  makes  intercession  and  the  people  are  pun¬ 
ished  with  additional  thirty-eight  years  of  wander¬ 
ings  in  the  wilderness. 

15.  The  Law  of  Sacrifices  is  further  explained. 

16.  The  rebellion  of  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abriam 
brings  on  severe  punishment  in  the  form  of  a  con¬ 
suming  fire  and  a  plague. 

17.  Aaron’s  rod  among  the  rods  of  the  different 
tribes  only  flourishes,  and  it  is  left  as  a  monument 
against  the  rebels. 

18.  The  duties  and  the  income  of  the  priest  are 
established. 

19.  A  law  of  purification  by  the  ashes'  of  a  red 
heifer  is  promulgated. 

20.  Miriam  dies  and  is  mourned  by  the  people. 
Moses  smites  the  rock  in  a  fit  of  anger  and  he  and 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


61 


Aaron  are  therefore  not  to  enter  Canaan.  Aaron 
dies  on  Mount  Hor. 

21.  The  serpents  are  sent  as  a  punishment  for  the 
rebellious  people.  It  is  only  by  the  means  of  the 
brazen  serpent  that  salvation  comes. 

22-24.  Balaam  the  prophet  for  the  love  of  wages  is 
about  to  curse  God’s  people,  but  is  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  divine  interposition.  Finally  he  fore¬ 
tells  the  happiness  of  Israel  and  prophesies  in  regard 
to  the  star  of  Jacob. 

25.  Israel’s  whoredom  and  idolatry  with  Moab  is 
avenged  by  Phineas. 

26.  Second  Census. 

27.  The  daughters  of  Zelophedad  are  allowed  to 
inherit  and  Joshua  is  appointed  leader. 

28-30.  Repetition  of  various  laws. 

31.  Israel  conquest  over  the  Midianites. 

32-36.  Provisional  division  of  the  promised  land. 


References  in  the  New  Testament: 


Chapt.  8,16 — Luke  2,23 
9,17—1  Cor.  10,1 
11,4 — 1  Cor.  10,6 

12.7—  Hebr.  3,2 
14,2,36—1  Cor.  10,10 
19,3— Hebr.  13,11 

20.8— 1  Cor.  10,4 


Chapt.  21,5,6 — 1  Cor.  10,9 

21.9—  John  3,14 
22,21—2  Peter  2,15,16 

25.9— 1  Cor.  10,8 
26,65—1  Cor.  10,5 

28.9—  Matthew  12,5 
31,16— Rev.  2,14 


5.  Deuteronomy 

Title 


The  book  which  ranks  as  the  closing  book  of  the 
Pentateuch  was  designated  by  the  Jews  as  Elleh 
Ilad-debharim.  The  name  Deuteronomy  it  received 
from  the  Greek  translators  who  called  it  DEUTER- 
ONOMION. 

This  name,  however,  is  somewhat  misleading  as  it 
is  apt  to  suggest  that  there  is  in  this  book  either  a 


62 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


second  code  or  a  recapitulation  of  the  law  already 
delivered.  In  it  are  found  three  addresses  given  by 
Moses  in  extreme  old  age  to  those  who  had  been 
born  in  the  wilderness  and  who  had  not  heard  the 
original  law. 

Contents 

The  first  part  consists  of  solemn  exhortations  and 
admonitions  to  obedience  to  the  Divine  ordinances 
to  which  is  appended  a  short  historical  notice  of  the 
appointment  of  three  cities  of  refuge.  In  the  second 
address  Moses  covers  the  leading  ethical  precepts 
which  had  already  been  delivered  to  the  people.  His 
hearers  seem  only  partially  conversant  with  the  law, 
hence  some  things  are  assumed  and  others  are  de¬ 
scribed  in  great  detail.  A  stirring  appeal  is  made  to 
the  future  career  open  to  his  people  if  they  will 
follow  his  precepts. 

In  the  third  address  Moses  sets  forth  with  minute¬ 
ness  the  blessings  and  the  curses  by  which  the  law  is 
sanctioned.  Life  and  death  are  set  before  them  to 
choose  from,  for  those  who  hear  and  their  posterity. 
The  active  life  of  the  old  warrior  is  drawing  to  a 
close.  With  blessings  of  the  law-giver  upon  the  sev¬ 
eral  tribes,  and  an  appended  account  of  his  death 
and  burial  the  book  terminates.  The  account  of 
Moses’  death  in  the  last  chapter  was  added  by  an¬ 
other  hand,  probably  Joshua’s.  But  it  makes  a  fit¬ 
ting  close  not  only  to  Deuteronomy  but  to  the  whole 
Pentateuch  as  well.  Deuteronomy  presents  such 
uniformity  in  character,  such  sameness  in  style  and 
methods  that  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in  seeing  in 
it  the  hand  of  one  author  and  according  to  reason¬ 
able  evidence  this  author  was  Moses. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


63 


Division 

1-26.  The  Farewell  Addresses  of  Moses  in  the 
Plains  of  Moab. 

27-34.  Happenings  till  his  death  and  burial. 

Chapt.  1-4.  Moses  rehearses  the  story  of  the  forty 
years  wanderings  in  the  wilderness. 

5.  The  commandments  are  laid  before  the  people 
and  summed  up  with  the  assurance  that  God  desires 
that  they  might  fear  him. 

6.  Admonition  to  fear  and  love  God. 

7.  Warning  against  fellowship  with  the  Can- 
aanites. 

8.  Admonitions  to  gratefulness  to  God. 

9-11.  Exhortation  to  humility  and  obedience. 

12.  Idolatry  must  be  destroyed  and  the  place  of 
God’s  service  is  to  be  kept  holy. 

13.  False  prophets  and  dreamers  must  be  ex¬ 
terminated. 

14.  Heathenish  customs  of  mourning  and  un¬ 
cleanness  must  be  avoided. 

15.  The  slaves  are  to  be  freed  at  a  set  time. 

16.  The  offices  of  Theocracy  are  described  and 
their  privileges  and  duties  enumerated. 

17.  Duties  of  judges  and  kings  of  the  future  are 
named. 

18.  True  and  false  prophets.  “The  Lord  will 
raise  up  unto  thee  a  prophet  from  the  midst 
of  they  brethren  like  unto  me ;  unto  him  ye  shall 
hearken.”  (15). 

19.  Cities  of  refuge  are  appointed  and  two  wit¬ 
nesses  are  required  in  court. 

20.  Regulations  for  war. 

21-26.  Transgressions  of  the  law  of  purity,  punish- 


64 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


ment  of  disobedient  children  and  similar  ordinances 
followed  by  a  prayer  for  Pentecost. 

27-28.  The  third  address  begins  with  the  form  of  a 
mighty  appeal  of  Moses  to  the  people  and  again  the 
blessing  and  curses  are  unfolded. 

29-30.  The  farewell  address  proper. 

31.  Moses  lays  down  the  office  of  leadership  and 
Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  is  appointed  in  his  stead. 

32.  Here  is  found  Moses’  song  and  the  announce¬ 
ment  of  his  death. 

33.  The  final  benediction  of  Moses  and  his  pro¬ 
phecy  in  regard  to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  is 
recorded  in  this  chapter. 

34.  Some  one  other  than  Moses  added  the  account 
*  of  his  solitary  way  to  Mt.  Nebo  from  whence  the  old 

warrior  gains  a  last  glimpse  of  the  promised  land. 
His  lonely  grave  is  unknown.  “His  eye  was  not 
dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated.”  (7).  “There 
arose  not  a  prophet  since  in  Israel  like  unto  Moses, 
whom  the  Lord  knew  face  to  face.”  (10). 


References  in  the  New  Testament: 


Chapt.  6,13 — Matthew  4,10 
6,16 — Matthew  4,7 
8,3 — Matthew  4,4 
10,17— Acts  10,34 
Rom.  2,11 
Eph.  6,9 
Col.  3,25 
17,6— John  8,17 
Hebr.  10,28 
18,3—1  Cor.  9,13 


Chapt.  18,18 — John  1,45 
Acts  3,22 
7  37 

24,1 — Matthew  5,31 
19,7 

Mark  10,4 
25,4  —1  Cor.  9,9 
1  Tim.  5,18 
27,26— Gal.  3,10 
30,14 — Rom.  10,8 


VI 


JOSHUA 

Title 

The  book  of  Joshua  is  the  first  of  the  series  of 
the  Nebiim,  i.  e.  the  prophetical  histories  which  are 
compilations  for  the  most  part  from  older  writings. 
It  bears  thename  of  Joshua,  because  it  begins  with 
his  call  to  become  the  leader  of  the  nation  and 
closes  with  his  death. 

Authorship 

Jewish  tradition  ascribes  this  book  to  Joshua  add¬ 
ing  that  the  sons  of  Aaron  wrote  the  conclusion  of 
this  work.  It  was  considered  as  belonging  to  that 
part  of  Scripture  known  as  the  law,  and  therefore 
has  at  times  been  called  the  Ilexateuch,  (six  fold 
book).  Except  perhaps  the  book  of  Daniel  there  is 
no  book  in  the  Bible  whose  authorship  has  been  con¬ 
tested  as  strenuously  as  this  one.  It  is  generally 
agreed  among  scholars  of  repute  that  the  successor 
of  Moses  is  not  the  author.  For  the  book  bears  in¬ 
ternal  evidence  and  traces  of  different  writers  in 
form  and  style.  Undoubtedly,  however,  notes  writ¬ 
ten  by  Joshua  along  with  others  were  employed.  It 
must  have  been  written  at  a  very  early  date,  for 
there  is  an  entire  absence  of  any  allusion  to  the  later 
history  of  Israel.  That  it  was  written  before  the 
time  of  David  seems  clear  from  the  statement  “that 
the  Jebusites  dwelt  among  the  children  of  Israel 
until  this  day.  (ch.  15,63).  The  mention  of  the 
“ place  which  Jehovah  should  choose”  implies  not 
only  that  the  temple  had  not  yet  been  built,  but 
even  the  site  had  not  yet  been  selected.  Is  it  probable 


66 


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that  the  information  conveyed  could  have  been 
drawn  up  with  such  minuteness  four  or  five  hundred 
years  later  when  the  kingdom  was  disrupted  and 
confusion  reigned?  Does  not  the  style  of  the  book 
have  very  much  in  common  with  that  of  Moses? 
Sound  scholarship  will  have  to  see  in  this  material 
at  least  the  work  of  priestly  hands  not  far  removed 
from  the  days  of  Joshua. 

Contents 

Chapter  1,1  clearly  indicates  that  the  book  is 
meant  to  be  a  continuation  of  Deuteronomy.  God 
is  about  to  redeem  his  promise  to  Israel.  The  Can- 
aanites  are  driven  out  and  the  descendants  of  the 
fathers  take  possession  of  the  country  “wherein 
milk  and  honey  flows.”  The  people  accept  Joshua 
as  leader  in  the  place  of  Moses  and  promise  him 
their  obedience.  His  powerful  deeds  are  described 
in  living  vivid  style.  The  two  principal  objections 
which  have  been  raised  against  the  divine  inspira- 
ton  of  this  book  are  moral  and  scientific. 

How,  it  is  asked,  could  the  revolting  and  cruel 
enjoinment  have  been  given  by  God  who  is  love,  to 
massacre  an  unoffending  population,  involving  the 
aged  ones  as  well  as  children?  It  must  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  the  men  who  made  history  in  those  days 
were  children  of  their  times  and  naturally  they  did 
not  have  the  high  conception  of  morality  that  dis¬ 
tinguishes  our  age.  Furthermore  the  God  of  nature  is 
the  same  God  as  the  God  of  morality  who  permitted 
such  cruelties.  It  seems  to  have  been  an  invariable 
law  that  when  people  steeped  in  luxury  vice  and 
immorality  have  become  the  prey  of  simpler  people, 
such  and  similar  cruelties  have  always  taken  place. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


67 


The  Jewish  religion  of  those  days  proved  to  be  the 
seed  from  whence  sprang  that  vast  improvement  to 
humanity  and  morality,  which  has  contributed  large¬ 
ly  to  the  greater  happiness  of  the  race. 

The  second  objection  raised  is  the  miraculous  ele¬ 
ment  in  Joshua.  But  why  should  science  object  ser¬ 
iously  when  it  has  proved  that  invariable  forces, 
acting  by  invariable  laws  are  very  plastic  instru¬ 
ments  possible  in  the  human  hand?  Could  less  be 
said  of  God  than  of  man?  Can  Almighty  God  not 
make  just  claim  so  to  control  the  operation  of  the 
laws  of  nature  as  to  produce  the  results  he  desires? 
If  man  can  drain  marshes  and  turn  them  into  fruit¬ 
ful  fields,  why  should  not  God  be  able  to  make  a 
path  across  the  sea  or  river?  If  dynamite  is  able  to 
blow  the  strongest  structures  into  atoms  why  should 
God  not  have  power  to  lay  low  the  walls  of  Jericho? 
He  who  holds  the  heavens  in  the  hollow  of  his  hands, 
should  he  not  be  able  to  temporarily  arrest  the 
revolutions  of  the  earth  and  prevent  at  the  same 
time  the  terrible  consequences  the  possibility  of 
which  seem  to  stagger  the  human  mind?  If  a  mir¬ 
acle  is  at  all  possible  why  make  a  distinction  as  to 
size?  But  the  more  important  question  involved  is 
this  one :  would  God  have  thought  it  necessary  to 
perform  such  miracle?  It  is  apparent  that  the 
actual  meaning  of  the  author  is  obscure.  It  need 
not  necessarily  be  assumed  that  the  sun  remained 
beyond  his  ordinary  time.  All  that  is  said  is  that 
Joshua’s  impassioned  words  demanded  that  the  sun 
should  not  set  till  his  work  would  have  been  ac¬ 
complished,  and  his  request  was  fulfilled.  He  had 
perfect  day  until  Israel  was  avenged.  Then  too 


68 


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“the  book  of  the  upright”  is  given  as  authority  for 
this  statement.  Natural  convulsions,  though  pos¬ 
sible,  need  not  be  the  only  plausible  explanations  of 
this  remarkable  record.  Once  this  position  is  estab¬ 
lished  the  whole  controversy  over  this  obscure  pass¬ 
age  falls  to  pieces. 

Division 

I- 12.  The  Conquest  of  Canaan. 

13-24.  The  Distribution  of  the  Land  and  Joshua’s 
Death. 

Chapt.  1.  “Now  Moses  My  Servant  Is  Dead,”  it 
is  with  these  majestic  words  that  the  Lord  begins 
the  announcement  of  the  appointment  of  Joshua  as 
leader  and  successor.  God  promises  to  be  with  him 
as  he  had  been  with  Moses  of  old. 

2.  Joshua  makes  extensive  preparations  for  in¬ 
vasions  of  Canaan. 

3.  Israel  passing  through  the  Jordan,  enters 
Canaan. 

4.  Twelve  stones  from  the  bed  of  Jordan  are 
erected  in  memory  of  the  crossing. 

5.  The  formal  renewal  of  the  covenant  is  related. 

6.  Jericho  is  taken. 

7.  The  episode  of  Achan  arouses  the  anger  of  God. 

8.  Joshua  builds  an  altar  of  sacrifice  ;  again  bless¬ 
ings  and  curses  are  announced. 

9.  The  Gideonites  in  order  to  save  themselves 
practice  deceit,  but  are  detected. 

10.  The  Amorites  give  battle,  Joshua  calls  upon 
the  sun  and  the  moon  to  linger  until  the  victory 
is  won. 

II- 12.  Other  kings  are  defeated. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


69 


13-21.  The  distribution  of  the  conquered  land 
among  the  different  tribes  takes  place. 

22.  The  eastern  tribes  return  home,  and  erect  an 
altar.  Misunderstood  in  this  the  rest  of  Israel  pre¬ 
pares  to  attack  them,  when  it  was  revealed  that  it 
was  an  action  of  union  rather  than  of  disunion. 

23-24.  Joshua  assembles  the  nation  for  a  mighty 
exhortation  to  remember  the  law,  and  dies.  The 
bones  of  Joseph  brought  from  Egypt  are  buried. 


References  in  the  New  Testament : 


Chapt.  1,5 — Hebr.  13,5 
2,1— Hebr.  11,31 
James  2,25 
3,14— Acts  7,45 


Chapt.  6,20 — Hebr.  11,30 
6,23— Hebr.  11,31 
14,1— Acts  13,19 
24,32— Acts  7,14-16 


VII 

THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 

Title 

The  Book  of  Judges  like  the  other  preceding  his¬ 
torical  books,  derives  its  name  from  its  contents, 
i.  e.,  the  historical  record  of  certain  happenings 
which  took  place  in  Israel  under  the  Judges.  The 
Jews  call  the  book  SHOPHETIM,  the  Septuagint 
KRITAI,  the  Yulgata  LIBER  JUDICUM  or 
JUDICES,  hence  our  designation  Book  of  Judges. 
These  Judges  were  those  civil  and  military  rulers 
who  governed  Israel  between  the  death  of  Joshua 
and  the  kingship  of  Saul.  The  merger  into  a  king¬ 
dom  took  place  under  Samuel  who  held  the  office  of 
judge  and  prophet  at  the  same  time. 

Authorship 

Jewish  tradition  names  Samuel  as  the  author. 
Certain  it  is  that  it  is  compiled  from  old  historic 
sources.  It  is  not  a  scientific  history  but  a  collec¬ 
tion  of  narratives  having  a  moral  and  religious  pur¬ 
pose.  A  certain  chronology  is  impossible,  it  is  likely, 
however,  that  it  embraces  a  period  of  about  290 
years,  the  assumed  time  between  the  death  of  Joshua 
and  establishment  of  the  kingdom.  The  book  has 
always  had  a  place  in  the  Canon. 

Contents 

The  historical  facts  here  recorded  are  not  a  his¬ 
tory  of  a  united  nation,  but  rather  events  which 
took  place  among  different  tribes  in  different  locali¬ 
ties.  Large  portions  of  ancient  material  seem  to 
have  been  incorporated  without  alterations,  only 
now  and  then  personal  remarks  are  added.  The 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


71 


Book  of  the  wars  of  the  Lord,  the  Book  of  Jashar, 
the  visions  of  Iddo  the  Seer,  the  prevalent  stories 
of  the  Judges  and  other  sources  were  drawn  on. 

The  political  situation  has  become  extremely  diffi¬ 
cult.  Whenever  there  was  extraordinary  falling 
away  from  Jehovah  the  people  are  punished  by 
means  of  foreign  invasions  and  inner  hardships  and 
trials.  When,  however,  the  people  turn  to  Jehovah 
for  salvation,  he  graciously  sends  deliverance. 
Again  and  again  the  situation  was  repeated. 

Division 

1-2.  Survey  of  Political  and  Religious  Conditions. 

3-16.  The  Judges. 

17-21.  Appendix. 

1.  The  wars  of  the  Israelites,  especially  of  the 
tribes  of  Judah  and  Simeon  are  described. 

2.  The  Israelites  are  reproved  for  their  disobedi¬ 
ence  to  the  Lord.  A  different  generation  from 
Joshua’s  time  has  arisen,  which  served  the  gods  of 
the  Canaanites.  God  is  angry  with  his  people. 

3.  Cushan-Rishathaim,  king  of  Mesopotamia, 
Eglon  of  Moab,  Ammon  and  Amalak,  oppress  Israel 
and  Othniel,  Ehud  and  Shamgar  are  the  deliverers. 

4.  Deborah,  wife  of  Lapidoth,  is  judging  the  na¬ 
tion.  Jabin,  king  of  Canaan,  is  the  oppressor. 
Deborah  and  Barak  overcome  him  and  Jael  kills 
Sisera. 

5.  Deborah  in  a  poem  of  rare  strength  and  good 
description  sings  of  the  victory. 

6.  The  Midianites  have  established  their  rulership 
in  Israel.  Gideon  first  destroys  the  images  of  Baal, 
and  then  receives  signs  from  the  angel. 

7-8.  A  large  army  responds  to  his  call,  but  this  is 


72 


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being  reduced  to  three  hundred  and  with  these  by 
the  aid  of  God,  the  Midianites  are  driven  out  of  the 
country. 

9.  Abimelech,  the  son  of  Gideon,  murders  sixty- 
nine  of  his  brothers  and  makes  himself  king,  but  is 
slain  in  accordance  with  a  prophecy. 

10.  Tola  and  Jair  are  named  as  judges.  Israel 
sins  again  and  is  oppressed  by  the  Philistines  and 
the  Ammonites. 

11.  Jephtha  frees  the  country;  on  account  of  a 
vow  he  sacrifices  his  daughter. 

12.  The  Ephraimites  war  against  Jephtha;  Ibzan, 
Elon,  Abdon  are  named  as  rulers. 

13-16.  The  Philistines  overrun  the  country.  Sam¬ 
son’s  birth  is  announced  and  takes  place.  Later  he 
wins  a  wife  among  the  Philistines,  kills  a  lion,  finds 
honey  in  the  carcass,  gives  a  marriage  feast ;  his 
wife  makes  known  the  riddle  which  he  had  given  his 
guests,  kills  thirty  Philistines  and  leaves  his  wife. 
Afterwards  he  wants  to  visit  her  but  is  denied  this. 
In  anger  Samson  burns  the  harvest  of  the  enemies. 
Again  he  kills  one  thousand  Philistines  with  a  jaw 
bone.  In  his  supernatural  strength  he  carries  away 
the  gates  of  Gaza.  Finally  he  is  betrayed  by  his 
sweetheart  Delilah  who  secures  the  secret  of  his 
strength  for  his  enemies. 

Deprived  of  his  long  hair  he  is  taken  captive. 
But  his  hair,  the  source  of  his  strength,  grows  again 
and  at  a  festival  in  Dagon’s  temple  he  pulls  down 
the  building  and  dying  kills  many  Philistines. 

17-18.  Micah  erects  a  private  sanctuary  and  the 
Danites  likewise  set  up  idolatry  at  Laish. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


73 


19-21.  Benjamin  commits  a  terrible  sin  and  on  ac¬ 
count  of  this  is  almost  exterminated  by  the  rest 
of  Israel. 

References  in  the  New  Testament : 

The  Time  of  The  Judges  is  referred  to  in 
Acts  13,20. 

Gideon,  Barak,  Jephthah  and  Samson  are  named 
in  Hebr.  11,32. 


VIII 


Title 


RUTH 


This  charming  little  idyll  receives  its  name  from 
the  chief  heroine  of  the  story. 

Authorship 

The  authorship  is  utterly  unknown.  But  some 
have  attributed  it  to  Samuel,  others  to  Hezekiah, 
again  others  to  Ezra  and  some  even  to  David.  Un¬ 
doubtedly  this  little  story  has  often  been  narrated 
in  the  home  of  David  with  the  greatest  interest, 
since  genealogy  connects  Ruth  with  that  kingly 
house.  The  events  occurred  during  the  time  of  the 
judges,  and  this  is  the  reason  for  its  position  in  our 
Bible. 

Contents 

The  Hebrew  editors  have  relegated  this  little  book 
to  the  Chetubim,  other  Scriptures.  Though  no  artis¬ 
tic  elaboration  of  style  is  noticeable,  yet  there  are 
in  it  graces  of  diction  that  make  it  very  attractive. 
It  is  pervaded  with  tender  feelings  and  religious 
loyalty  in  the  time  of  public  turmoil.  The  purpose 
probably  was  the  description  of  the  Reward  of  De¬ 
votedness.  The  composition  undoubtedly  did  not 
take  place  until  much  later,  after  the  occurrence  of 
the  events  narrated,  for  the  expressions,  ‘‘in  the 
days  when  the  judges  judged”  and  “in  former 
times”  indicate  this  clearly. 

The  main  episodes  in  the  life  of  Ruth,  as  nar¬ 
rated  in  four  chapters,  are  briefly  as  follows : 
In  the  time  of  the  judges,  a  famine  arose  in  Israel, 
in  consequence  of  which  a  man  named  Elimelech 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


75 


with  his  wife,  Naomi,  and  their  two  sons,  Mahalon 
and  Chelion,  emigrated  from  Bethlehem  in  Jndea  to 
the  land  of  Moab.  Here,  after  Elimelech’s  death, 
his  two  sons  married  Moabite  women,  and  not  long 
afterward  themselves  died,  leaving  no  children. 
Naomi,  bereft  of  husband  and  sons,  now  left  Moab 
and  returned  to  Judea. 

On  her  journey  thither  Naomi  did  her  best  to  per¬ 
suade  her  daughters-in-law  not  to  accompany  her 
into  that  strange  land  but  to  remain  among  their 
own  people.  One  of  them,  however,  named  Ruth, 
with  a  generous  fidelity  insisted  on  accompanying 
Naomi,  and  arrived  with  her  in  Bethlehem.  “Your 
people  shall  be  my  people,”  said  Ruth,  the  model 
wife  and  daughter-in-law,  “and  your  God  shall  be 
my  God.”  The  barley  harvest  had  just  begun  there, 
and  Ruth,  in  order  to  relieve  her  own  and  Naomi’s 
poverty,  went  to  work  in  the  fields  of  Boaz,  a  rich 
man  of  Bethlehem.  While  she  was  thus  employed 
she  and  Naomi  made  an  interesting  discovery — 
namely,  that  Boaz  was  a  near  kinsman  of  Elimelech. 

Now,  there  was  a  law  among  the  Jews  (founded 
on  the  solidarity  of  the  family  or  clan)  by  virtue  of 
which  when  a  man  died  leaving  a  widow  but  leaving 
no  children  it  became  the  duty  of  his  nearest  kin 
(known  as  the  go ’el  or  redeemer)  to  redeem  any 
property  that  the  deceased  had  been  obliged  to  sell 
and  in  other  ways  to  act  for  the  deceased  in  pro¬ 
tecting  the  widow’s  and  the  family  or  clan’s  inter¬ 
ests.  That  a  marriage  should  have  no  fruit  in  chil¬ 
dren  was,  for  example,  so  abhorrent  to  the  Jewish 
mind  in  those  days  when  the  world  was  so  sparsely 
peopled  that  even  if  his  next  of  kin  were  a  brother 


76 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


it  became  the  duty  of  that  brother,  under  what  was 
known  as  the  law  of  levirate  marriage,  to  marry  his 
brother’s  widow  unless  he  renounced  her  by  a 
formal  ceremony  known  as  the  halizah,  in  which  she 
publicly  took  off  his  shoe. 

Only  when  a  brother  married  his  deceased  broth¬ 
er’s  widow  because  infatuated  with  her  beauty  did 
the  law  of  the  levirate  rebuke  him ;  then,  indeed,  he 
was  held  by  some  rabbis  to  be  guilty  of  incest.  Later 
on,  marrying  a  deceased  brother’s  wife  was  ex¬ 
pressly  prohibited. 

However,  Boaz  was  not  a  brother,  and  in  fact 
there  was  a  nearer  kinsman  to  Elimelech  and  hence 
to  Mahalon  (Ruth’s  deceased  husband)  than  he.  But 
the  nearer  kinsman  having  agreed  to  renounce  his 
prior  right  to  Ruth  under  the  law,  Boaz,  who  had 
been  most  favorably  impressed  with  her  and  re¬ 
ceived  her  kindly  when,  advised  by  Naomi,  Ruth  ap¬ 
proached  him  at  night  and  revealed  her  claim  upon 
him,  married  her.  She  bore  him  a  son  named  Obed, 
the  grandfather  of  David. 

Thus  Ruth,  the  heathen  Moabite,  an  Israelite  only 
by  adoption,  was  destined  to  be  the  forbear  of 
Israel’s  greatest  poet,  warrior  and  king.  The  sec¬ 
ond  part  of  the  book  of  Ruth  consists  of  a  brief 
genealogy  connecting  the  line  of  David  through 
Boaz  with  Phares,  whose  father  Judah,  fourth  son 
of  Jacob  by  Leah,  was  the  founder  of  the  greatest 
and  most  numerous  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 


IX 


THE  TWO  BOOKS  OF  SAMUEL 

Title 

In  the  Hebrew  manuscripts  the  two  books  form 
one.  The  translators  of  the  Septuagint  divided  it 
into  two  and  called  it  the  First  and  Second  Books  of 
the  Kingdom.  The  Vulgata  altered  the  title  and 
called  them  the  First  and  Second  Books  of  Samuel, 
not  because  Samuel  was  the  author,  but  because  the 
prophet  is  the  most  prominent  actor  in  the  opening 
portion. 

Authorship 

According  to  Jewish  tradition  Samuel  wrote  the 
work  with  the  execption  of  the  record  of  his  death 
which  Gad  and  Nathan  were  said  to  have  added. 
Who  the  compiler  of  the  book  was,  is  not  known 
with  certainty.  At  any  rate  the  three  aforenamed 
prophets  made  records  of  historical  events  and  it 
may  be  safely  assumed  that  these  records  together 
with  the  Book  of  Jashar  mentioned  11.1,18  formed 
the  nucleus  for  this  work.  The  pure,  simple  and 
forcible  language  would  indicate  that  eye-witnesses 
report. 

Contents 

The  two  books  contain  the  storv  of  Israel  from 
the  end  of  time  of  judges  to  the  close  of  the  reign  of 
David.  The  detailed  biographical  notices  of  minor 
importance  in  the  lives  of  the  kings,  and  again  short 
descriptions  of  great  importance,  point  to  a  master- 
hand  in  historical  literature.  It  was  written  not 
later  than  the  last  days  of  David,  for  it  does  not  re¬ 
fer  to  the  later  kings. 


78 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Division 

The  First  Book  divides  naturally  into  two  parts: 

1-12.  The  Story  of  Samuel. 

13-31.  The  Story  of  Saul. 

Chapt.  1.  Hannah,  Elkanah’s  wife,  through  pray¬ 
er  and  upon  the  prophecy  of  Eli  the  priest  obtains  a 
son  whom  she  names  Samuel  and  whom  she  presents 
to  the  Lord. 

2.  Hannah  praises  the  Divine  Mercy  and  the  boy 
grows  up,  employed  in  the  tabernacle  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  Eli.  But  Eli’s  sons  were  wicked  and  a 
prophecy  is  made  against  his  house. 

3.  God  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  calls  Samuel 
three  times  and  reveals  to  him  the  destruction  of 
Eli’s  house. 

4.  Israel  is  overcome  by  the  Philistines,  the  ark  is 
lost,  the  sons  of  Eli  are  slain,  and  when  the  old  priest 
learns  that  the  ark  is  taken  he  falls  from  a  chair 
and  breaks  his  neck. 

5.  The  Philistines  now  place  the  ark  in  the  temple 
of  Dagon.  The  priests  find  Dagon  the  image  of  their 
god,  fallen  and  destroyed,  before  the  ark,  and  a  se¬ 
vere  plague  comes  to  inhabitants  of  Askelon  and  Gath 
and  Ekron  where  the  ark  was  taken  in  succession. 

6.  The  ark  is  brought  to  Bethshemesh,  where  in¬ 
quisitive  people  suffer,  then  to  Kirjath-jearim. 

7.  Israel  now  repents  and  under  the  leadership  of 
Samuel  overcomes  the  ancient  enemy. 

8.  Samuel  growing  old  desires  to  appoint  his  two 
sons  his  successors  in  office,  but  the  people  object  on 
account  of  the  wickedness  of  his  sons,  and  ask  for 
a  king. 

9.  Saul,  the  son  of  Kish  despairing  in  the  search 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


79 


for  his  father’s  asses,  comes  to  Samuel  who  after 
having  entertained  him  brings  him  on  his  way. 

10.  Saul  is  anointed  king,  his  heart  is  changed 
and  he  prophesies  and  finally  is  chosen  by  lot  as  the 
leader  of  the  nation. 

11.  Saul  gains  a  great  victory  over  Nahash,  king 
of  the  Ammonites. 

12.  Samuel  testifies  to  Saul’s  integrity  and  re¬ 
proves  the  people  for  their  ingratitude,  and  counsels 
them  to  fear  God  and  finally  lays  down  his  office  as 
leader  of  the  nation. 

13.  Saul  now  is  ruler.  But  hardly  has  he  begun 
to  reign  when  he  disobeys  at  Gilgal  and  sacrifices 
without  waiting  for  the  prophet  Samuel. 

14.  Jonathan  proves  himself  valiant  at  Michmash, 
and  almost  alone  overcomes  the  ancient  enemy  of 
Israel. 

15.  Saul  wars  against  Amalek,  but  he  spares  king 
Agag  and  the  rich  spoils  in  direct  disobedience  to 
God’s  command  and  is  therefore  rejected. 

16.  Samuel  is  sent  to  Bethlehem  to  anoint  David, 
who  is  called  to  the  court  to  quiet  Saul’s  evil  spirit 
by  playing  on  the  harp. 

17.  David  conquers  Goliath  north  of  Gath. 

18.  David  gains  the  friendship  of  Jonathan  the 
king’s  son,  while  the  king  gives  himself  over  to 
jealousy.  David  marries  Michal,  Saul’s  daughter. 

19-20.  While  Saul  plots  against  the  life  of  David, 
Jonathan  endeavors  to  save  his  friend,  but  advises 
David  to  flee  for  safety. 

21-24.  David  flees  to  Nob  and  thence  to  Gath, 
where  by  a  ruse  he  saves  himself  from  the  Philis¬ 
tines.  An  outlaw,  he  comes  to  the  cave  of  Adullam, 


80 


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where  all  sorts  of  men  gather  around  him.  Mean¬ 
while  the  priests  at  Nob  are  killed  by  Saul  for  their 
favor  to  David.  David  has  power  to  kill  Saul  in  a 
cave  at  Engedi  but  he  spares  the  anointed  of  the 
Lord. 

25-26.  Samuel  dies  at  a  good  old  age  and  is  buried 
at  Rama.  Saul  again  seeks  David’s  life,  and  again 
David  spares  Saul’s  life. 

27.  The  fugitive  is  forced  to  leave  his  native  coun¬ 
try  and  to  seek  refuge  in  Gath. 

28.  Saul  thus  being  forsaken  by  God,  when  a  new 
war  with  the  Philistines  had  broken  out,  consults  the 
witch  at  Endor. 

29.  David  is  not  allowed  to  take  part  in  this  war 
since  the  Philistines  fear  he  might  turn  against  them 
in  battle. 

30.  When  he  returned  home,  the  Amalekites  have 
despoiled  Ziklag.  But  David  pursuing  them  pun¬ 
ishes  the  robbers  and  brings  home  the  spoils. 

31.  Israel  is  defeated  in  the  battle  at  Gilboa;  Saul 
and  his  sons  are  among  the  slain. 

References  in  the  New  Testament : 

Chapt.  13,14 — Acts  13,22  Chapt.  21,6 — Matthew  12,3-4 

15,22 — Matthew  9,13  Mark  2,25-26 

Luke  6,3-4 

The  Second  Book  contains  the  history  of  David’s 
return. 

1-4.  The  seven  years’  reign  at  Hebron. 

5-24.  David  king  over  the  whole  of  Israel. 

Chapt.  1-2.  David,  after  having  avenged  the  slay¬ 
er  of  Saul,  at  the  direction  of  God  proceeds  to 
Hebron  where  he  is  made  king  of  Judah. 

3-4.  Ishbosheth,  Saul’s  son,  supported  by  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


81 


misrhty  general  Abner  is  king1  in  the  north.  Abner 

O  CD  C 

goes  over  to  David  and  he  as  well  as  Ishbosheth  are 
slain. 

5.  David  is  now  anointed  king  by  the  ten  tribes 
and  proves  his  valor  by  wresting  Jerusalem1  from 
the  Jebusites. 

6.  The  ark  is  transferred  from  Kirjath-jearim  to 
Mt.  Zion. 

7.  David  now  wants  to  build  God  a  house  and  is 
forbidden  to  do  so. 

8.  New  Battles  against  the  Philistines,  Moabites, 
and  Syrians  are  won. 

9.  David  shows  kindness  to  the  descendants  of 
the  house  of  Saul. 

10.  Wars  are  again  raging  with  the  Ammonites 
and  the  Syrians. 

11.  On  his  triumphant  return  David  in  an  idle 
hour  commits  adultery  with  Bathsheba,  wife  of 
Uriah,  a  soldier.  When  he  could  not  cover  up  his 
transgression  in  any  other  way  he  orders  Uriah  to 
be  put  into  a  specially  dangerous  place  in  battle, 
where  he  is  killed  and  David  now  openly  marries 
Bathsheba. 

12.  Nathan,  the  prophet,  skilfully  convicts  the 
king  by  means  of  a  parable  whereupon  David  con¬ 
fesses  his  guilt.  Though  repentant,  the  bitter  con¬ 
sequences  of  his  sins  were  soon  felt  in  his  own 
family. 

18-14.  Absolom,  after  having  killed  Ammon,  is  re¬ 
called  from  banishment. 

iTlie  Tel  el-Amarna  Tablets,  found  in  Upper  Egypt  and 
dating  back  to  1450  B.  C.,  make  mention  of  Uru-Salim  as  an 
old  City  of  the  Canaanites,  which  is  the  same  city  as 
Jerusalem. 


82 


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15-18.  But  secretly  he  wins  over  the  hearts  of 
many  people  by  flattery  and  raises  the  standard  of 
revolt  against  his  father.  David  flees  from  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  but  finally  Absolom’s  army  is  defeated  and  the 
king’s  son  slain  by  Joab. 

19-24.  A  great  famine  comes  upon  Israel,  but  is 
removed,  the  deeds  of  the  mighty  men  of  David  are 
enumerated,  a  mighty  Psalm  of  thanksgiving  is  com¬ 
posed  by  David,  the  people  are  numbered  and  a 
plague  follows  in  consequence. 

References  in  the  New  Testament : 

Chapt.  7,12 — Acts  13,36. 

7,16— John  12,34. 

12,24— Matth.  1,6. 


X 

THE  TWO  BOOKS  OF  KINGS 

Title 

First  and  Second  Kings  were  originally  one  book 
known  among  the  Jews  as  MELACHIM,  Kings;  the 
Septuagint  and  the  Vulgata  divide  it  into  two  books 
and  called  them  the  third  and  fourth  book  of  King¬ 
doms,  BASILEION,  counting  first  and  second 
Samuel  as  first  and  second  Kings.  The  name  is  ap¬ 
propriate  since  a  correct  history  from  the  reign  of 
Solomon  to  the  end  of  both  kingdoms  is  presented. 

Authorship 

The  writer  according  to  the  Talmud  is  Jeremiah 
the  prophet  and  there  are  weighty  reasons  in  favor 
of  this  tradition. 

1.  The  last  chapter  of  2  Kings  agrees  with  Jere¬ 
miah  52.  2.  There  is  a  marked  resemblance  be¬ 

tween  the  language  of  the  two  books.1  3.  There  is  a 
striking  absence  of  Jeremiah’s  name  in  the  books. 
Modesty  would  naturally  lead  the  author  to  such 
omission.  The  fact  that  Jeremiah  was  at  least 
eighty-six  years  old  when  the  books  were  written 
would  hardly  be  a  sufficient  reason  to  deny  his 
authorship.  Many  men  of  advanced  years  retain 
their  mental  vigor  and  engage  in  arduous  literary 
labors.  Nor  is  the  argument  convincing  that,  be¬ 
cause  Jeremiah  spent  his  last  days  in  Egypt  and  the 
work  was  evidently  written  in  Babylon,  he  cannot 
be  the  author.  For  the  possibility  of  publication  in 
Babylon  is  there.  Inscriptions  on  tablets  and 

iBaehr,  Einleitung,  vol  II  pp.  171  fg. ;  Speaker’s  Com¬ 
mentary  II  p.  471. 


84 


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other  material  were  often  sent  from  one  part  of  the 
earth  to  another.  Why  could  the  document  not  have 
been  sent  to  Babylon  since  the  great  bulk  of  the 
nation  was  captive  there? 

The  date  lies  somewhere  between  561  and  538  B.  C. 
It  cannot  have  been  before  561  B.  C.  since  that  is 
the  year  for  the  accession  of  Evil-Merodach  whose 
kindly  treatment  of  the  Jewish  king  is  the  last  thing 
mentioned  in  the  histories.  Nor  can  it  have  been 
written  after  538  B.  C.,  the  date  of  the  return  of 
Zerubbabel,  since  it  is  quite  inconceivable  that  the 
author  should  have  omitted  such  an  important  event. 

Contents 

Sources  which  the  author  used  are  the  acts  of 
Solomon  (1  Kings  11,41)  the  book  of  Nathan  the 
prophet,  the  visions  of  Iddo  the  seer.  2  Chron.  9,29), 
the  annals  of  the  kings  of  Judah,  annals  of  the 
kings  of  Israel  and  others.  But  back  of  these  are 
the  memoirs  of  the  prophets  mentioned  so  frequently 
in  the  Chronicles.  The  prophetical  office  assumed 
special  prominence  during  this  period.  Prophets 
were  the  counsellors  of  the  kings,  the  historians  of 
the  nation  and  the  instructors  of  the  people.  It  is 
therefore  not  so  much  a  personal  history  of  the  kings 
which  is  presented,  as  the  history  of  the  Theocracy. 

Division.  I  Kings 

Chapt.  1-11.  Solomon’s  Reign. 

Chapt.  12-22.  History  of  the  Divided  Kingdoms. 

Chapt.  1.  David  in  his  extreme  old  age  is  attended 
by  Abishag.  Adonijah’s  attempt  to  usurp  the  king¬ 
dom  is  thwarted  and  Absolom  is  appointed  successor 
to  David. 

2.  David  having  made  his  last  charge  to  Solomon 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


85 


dies.  Abiathar  is  banished  and  Adonijab,  Joab  and 
Shimei  are  put  to  death. 

3.  Married  to  an  Egyptian  princess,  Solomon  re¬ 
quests  as  divine  favor  true  wisdom,  which  manifests 
itself  in  his  wise  judgment. 

4.  The  court  of  Solomon  is  described  with  all  its 
splendor. 

5-7.  Solomon’s  bulding  activities  especially  the 
building  of  the  temple1  are  narrated  with  great 
detail. 

8.  The  ark  is  brought  into  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  on 
the  day  of  solemn  dedication  a  cloud  filled  the  House 
of  the  Lord.  Solomon  offers  a  beautiful  prayer.2 

9-10.  God  appears  to  Solomon  in  a  vision.  His 
prosperity,  wisdom  and  power  are  the  objects  of  ad¬ 
miration  of  the  neighboring  countries. 

11.  But  already  decay  sets  in.  His  many  heathen 
wives  lead  him  into  idolatry ;  his  adversaries  are 


fin  magnificence,  wealth  and  wisdom,  no  king  was  ever 
known  to  equal  Solomon.  His  first  energy  was  employed 
to  build  the  temple.  The  site  had  already  been  fixed  for 
this  great  edifice — Moriah,  one  of  the  heights  of  Jerusalem. 
The  building  itself  was  oblong  in  form,  sixty  cubits  in 
length  from  east  to  west,  and  twenty  cubits  in  breadth  : 
twenty  cubits  formed  the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  forty  formed 
the  Sanctuary  or  Holy  Place.  In  the  Holy  of  Holies  was 
placed  the  ark,  along  with  the  mercy  seat  overshadowed 
by  Cherubim;  and  there  also  shone  the  Shekinah,  the 
symbol  of  the  presence  of  God.  No  one  could  enter  this 
place  save  the  high  priest  and  he  only  on  the  great  day  of 
atonement.  A  rich  curtain  partition  veiled  it  from  the 
Sanctuary.  Everything  in  the  Sanctuary  and  the  Most 
Holy  Place  was  covered  with  pure  gold.  Outside  of  the 
temple  was  the  court  of  the  priests  and  beyond  that  the 
court  of  the  Gentiles.  No  such  splendor  had  ever  been 
exhibited  and  when  finished  the  dedication  was  a  most 
solemn  act  and  an  imposing  scene. 

2This  prayer,  in  its  main  parts,  is  even  today  used  at 
many  dedications  of  churches  and  temples. 


86 


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Hadad,  Rezon  and  Jeroboam.  He  dies  after  a  forty 
years’  reign  and  his  son  Rehoboam  becomes  king 
in  his  stead. 

12.  At  the  coronation  Jeroboam  the  spokesman  of 
the  people  demands  that  the  burdens  of  the  people 
be  made  lighter.  Rehoboam  rejects  the  advice  of 
the  council  of  old  men  and  listens  to  the  counsel  of 
young  men.  The  tribes  now  separate  and  the  north¬ 
ern  tribes  make  Jeroboam  king. 

13.  Jeroboam’s  hand  withers  as  he  stretches  it  out 
to  seize  a  prophet  who  denounced  him  for  his 
idolatry.  The  prophet  later  proves  himself  disobedi¬ 
ent  to  the  Lord  and  is  slain  by  a  lion. 

14.  Jeroboam’s  son,  Abijah,  is  ill  and  dies  as 
Ahijah  the  prophet  had  announced  to  Jeroboam’s 
wife,  whom,  though  in  disguise  he  recognized.  The 
king  dies  after  twenty  years  reign  and  Nadab  his 
son  reigned  in  his  stead.  Meanwhile  Rehoboam  is 
likewise  idolatrous,  and  Shishak1  of  Egypt  sacks 
the  capital. 

15.  His  son  Abijam  surpasses  his  father  in  wicked¬ 
ness,  but  Asa  his  successor  returns  to  God.  In  the 
northern  kingdom  Nadab  is  succeeded  by  Baasha, 
both  reign  wickedly. 

16.  Jehu  prophesies  the  end  of  Baasha ’s  house. 
Elah  follows  him  on  the  throne,  but  is  slain  by  Zimri. 
Zimri  is  slain  and  displaced  by  Omri  who  makes 
Samaria  his  capital  and  becomes  a  mighty  king.  But 

iChampolian  discovered  that  on  the  external  wall  of  the 
great  temple  of  Karnack  a  colossal  image  of  the  Egyptian 
sovereign  Shishak  or  Sheshonk  dealing  blows  with  his  club 
on  the  captive  Jews,  and  in  the  long  list  of  towns  captured 
occurs  also  that  of  Yuda  melchi — the  kingdom  of  Judah. 
Brugsch,  Geschichte  Egyptens,  II  p.  208. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


87 


he  is  more  wicked  than  his  predecessor  and  is  fol¬ 
lowed  by  his  son  Ahab  whose  wife  Jezebel  intro-  ' 
duces  Baalism. 

17.  Suddenly  and  unannounced  Elijah  appears, 
denouncing*  Ahab  and  announcing  a  famine.  The 
prophet  is  sent  to  Cherith  where  the  ravens  feed  him, 
after  that  to  the  widow  at  Zarephath  where  he 
blesses  the  meal  and  raises  the  widow’s  son. 

18.  The  great  contest  on  Mt.  Carmel  takes  place, 
Elijah  is  vindicated  and  many  priests  of  Baal  are 
slain. 

19.  But  now  the  prophet  must  flee  from  the  wrath 
of  Jezebel,  discouraged  he  sinks  down  under  a  juni¬ 
per  tree,  an  angel  appears  and  strengthens  him  for 
new  work.  The  Lord  appears  to  him  at  Horeb. 
Elisha  is  appointed  his  successor. 

20.  Ahab1  for  a  time  obedient  to  God  wins  a  vie 
lory  over  Ben-Hadad  of  Syria. 

21.  But  again  forsakes  the  path  of  right  through 
his  desire  for  Naboth’s  vineyard,  and  is  denounced 
by  the  prophet.  Because  he  humbled  himself,  judg¬ 
ment  is  stayed. 

22.  Ahab  enters  into  a  league  with  Jehoshaphat 


Bn  this  inscription  of  Shalmaneser  the  first  mention  of 
Israel  that  has  been  found  in  Assyrian  inscriptions,  is 
made.  It  reads  as  follows:  “Adenu,  Barga,  Argana,  his 
royal  city,  I  conquered;  his  spoil,  his  property,  the  pos¬ 
session  of  his  palaces  I  brought  forth;  to  his  palaces  I  set 
fire.  I  departed  from  Argana,  and  came  to  Qarqar.  Qar- 
qar,  his  royal  city,  I  destroyed,  I  devastated,  with  fire  I 
burned  1,200  chariots,  1,200  saddle  horses,  20,000  of  Adad- 
idri  (Biblical  Ben-hadad)  of  Damascus,  700  chariots,  700 
saddle  horses,  10,000  men  of  Irkhuleni  of  Khamath,  2,000 
chariots,  10,000  men  of  Ahab  of  Israel,  500  of  Gue,  1,000  of 
Mutsri,  10  chariots,  10,00  men  of  Irqanat,  ...  I  fought  with 
them,  .  .  .  their  defeat  I  established,  etc.”  Clay,  Light  on 
the  Old  Testament  from  Babel  p.  316. 


88 


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against  Syria  and  is  killed  at  the  battle  of  Ramoth- 
Gilead.  The  dogs  lick  his  blood  and  Ahaziah  be¬ 
comes  his  successor.  Jehoshaphat  reigns  well  and 
is  succeeded  and  is  followed  by  Jehoram. 

References  in  the  New  Testament: 

Chapt.  2,10 — Acts  2,29  Chapt.  17,1-9 — Luke  4,  25  fg. 

Acts  13,36  James  5,17  fg. 

10,1— Matth.  12,42.  19,10-18— Rom.  11,2-4 

Division.  Second  Book  of  Kings 

1-17.  Israel  and  Judah  until  the  destruction  of 
Israel. 

19-25.  Judah  until  its  destruction. 

Chapt.  1.  Ahaziah  consults  the  Oracle  at  Baal- 
Zebub  at  Ekron.  Elijah  announces  his  death.  Fifty 
men  are  sent  to  capture  the  prophet,  but  fire  from 
heaven  destroys  twice  fifty  detachments.  Jehoram 
succeeds  Ahaziah. 

2.  Elijah  is  taken  up  by  a  fiery  chariot  and  Elisha 
is  his  acknowledged  successor. 

3.  A  victory  is  gained  over  Mesha,1  the  king  of 
Moab. 

4.  Elisha  assists  a  prohpeLs  widow,  makes  alive 
the  son  of  the  Shunamite  woman,  heals  the  deadly 
pottage  and  feeds  a  hundred  prophets’  sons. 

5.  Naaman  of  Syria  is  healed  by  the  prophet. 

6.  Iron  is  caused  to  swim,  the  army  of  the  king  is* 
smitten  with  blindness.  A  famine  rages  in  Samaria. 

7.  The  prophet  promises  plenty,  and  the  prophecy 
is  fulfilled. 

JA  recent  discovery  of  a  monument  in  the  land  of  Moab, 
known  as  the  Moabite  stone,  confirms  the  Biblical  narra¬ 
tive  as  related  here.  The  stone  is  now  in  the  Louvre  at 
Paris.  It  is  a  supplement  to  the  records  of  the  reign  of 
Omri.  Ahab,  Jehoram  and  Jehoshaphat. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


89 


8.  He  helps  the  Shunamite  woman  to  her  property, 
and  the  Syrian  throne  is  promised  to  Hazael1  at 
Damascus.  In  Judah  wicked  Jehoram  reigns.  Aha- 
ziah  succeeds  his  father  and  is  equally  wicked. 

9.  Jehu  upon  Elisha’s  word  slays  Joram,  Ahaziah 
and  Jezebel. 

10.  Jehu2  continues  to  rage  against  the  house  of 
Ahab,  destroys  the  worship  of  Baal  and  is  finally 
succeeded  by  Jehoahaz. 

11.  In  Judah  Jehoash,  saved  by  his  aunt  from 
massacre  is  put  upon  the  throne  by  Jehoiada  the 
priest. 

12.  As  long  as  Jehoiada  lives  Jehoash  reigns  well, 
but  becomes  idolatrous  after  the  priest’s  death. 
Hazael  is  diverted  from  entering  Jerusalem  by  a 
present  from  the  sacred  treasury.  Jehoash  is  killed 
and  succeeded  by  Amaziah. 

13.  Jehoahaz  upon  prayer  is  delivered  from  the 
oppression  of  Hazael.  Joahaz  of  Israel  gains  a  vic- 


tShalmaneser  gives  the  account  of  his  victory  over 
Hazael  in  this  manner:  “In  the  eighteenth  year  of  my 
reign,  for  the  sixteenth  time  I  crossed  the  Euphrates. 
Hazael  of  Damascus  trusted  in  the  mass  of  his  troops, 
and  mustered  an  army  in  great  numbers.  Saniru,  a  moun¬ 
tain  peak,  which  is  at  the  entrance  of  the  Lebanon  moun¬ 
tain,  he  made  for  his  stronghold.  With  him  I  fought.  His 
defeat  I  established  ....  At  that  time,  I  received  the  trib¬ 
ute  of  the  Tyrians  and  Sidonians  and  of  Jehu,  the  son  of 
Omri.”  On  a  slab  found  at  Calah.  Clay,  Light  on  the  Old 
Testament  from  Babel  p.  319. 

2On  the  famous  Black  Obelisk  discovered  at  Nimrod, 
Shalmaneser  depicted  himself  in  a  bas-relief  as  receiving 
tribute  from  Jehu.  The  inscription  reads:  “Tribute  of 
Jehu,  son  of  Omri:  silver,  gold,  a  golden  bowl,  a  golden 
ladle,  golden  chalices,  golden  buckets,  led,  a  staff  for  the 
hand  of  the  king,  spear-shafts  (?)  I  received.”  Clay,  Light 
on  the  Old  Testament  from  Babel. 


90 


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tory  over  Syria1  as  foretold  by  Elisha.  The  prophet 
dies,  is  buried,  but  contact  with  his  bones  brings  life 
to  a  dead  man. 

14.  Amaziah  of  Judah  conquers  the  Edomites,  but 
is  defeated  by  Jehoash.  Slain  in  a  conspiracy  Ama¬ 
ziah  is  succeeded  by  Azariah,  also  known  as  Uzziah. 
In  Israel  Jeroboam  II  is  followed  by  Zachariah. 

15.  Azariah2  is  smitten  with  leprosy,  at  his  death 
Jotham  is  made  king.  In  Israel  Zachariah  is  killed 
and  followed  by  Shallum,  who  in  turn  is  slain  by 
Menahem.  He  is  followed  by  Pekahiah.  Pekah3 
slays  this  one  and  at  the  same  time  the  northern  part 
of  the  nation  is  carried  into  captivity  by  the  Assyr¬ 
ian  king  Tiglath-Pileser  III.  Pekah3  is  killed  by 
Hoshea3  the  last  king  in  Israel.  In  Judah  Jotham 
reigns  well. 

16.  He  is  followed  by  Ahaz3  who  proved  himself 
extremely  wicked.  He  is  followed  by  Hezekiah. 

17.  Hoshea  of  Israel  is  forced  to  bring  tribute  to 
Shalmaneser  of  Assyria.  He  asks  aid  from  So 
of  Egypt,  but  is  taken  prisoner  by  Shalmaneser. 
After  a  three  year  siege  Samaria  falls  under  Sargon 

lrHie  records  of  Adad-nirari  give  extensive  account  of  his 
conquest  which  included  Syria  and  which  probably  paved 
the  way  for  Jehoahaz’  victory.  Rogers,  Cuneiform  Par¬ 
allels  to  the  0.  T.  pp.  307  fg. 

2Azariah  is  mentioned  by  an  inscription  of  Tiglath- 
Pileser  as  follows:  “Nineteen  districts  of  the  city  of 
Hamath,  together  with  the  towns  of  their  environs  along 
the  coast  of  the  sea  of  the  seething  sun,  who  in  sin  and 
wickedness  they  took  up  for  Azrijau  (Azariah)  to  the 
boundary  of  Assyria  I  added.”  Clay,  Light  on  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  from  Babel,  p.  327. 

3Rezin  recorded  2  Kings  16,5  is  mentioned  by  the  Tiglath- 
Pileser  inscription,  ibid.  p.  329.  Likewise  also  Hoshea, 
Pekah  and  Ahaz.  ibid.  330-331. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


91 


succeeding  Shalmaneser  who  had  died  during 
the  siege,  the  ten  tribes  are  led  captive  to  Assyria 
and  thus  ended  the  kingdom  of  Israel  722.* 1  A 
strange  mixture  of  nations  is  transplanted  to  Sa¬ 
maria  and  the  Samaritans  of  the  New  Testament  are 
descendants  of  this  mongrel  race. 

18.  Hezekiah2  reigns  well  in  Judah  for  29  years. 
Sennacherib  troubles  Jerusalem. 

19.  Hezekiah  is  comforted  by  Isaiah.  An  angel 
kills  185  Assyrians  and  Sennacherib3  is  forced  to  re¬ 
tire  and  is  later  slain  by  his  sons  in  the  temple  of 
the  god  Nisroch. 

20.  Hezekiah  is  granted  prolongation  of  life  by 
God,  but  in  his  pride  shows  the  Babylonian  mess- 

iThis  took  place  so  near  the  beginning  of  Sargon’s  reign 
that  the  Bible  still  considers  it  as  in  the  reign  of  Shalman¬ 
eser.  But  Sargon’s  Annals  state:  “In  the  first  year  of  my 
reign,  Samaria  I  took,  27,290  inhabitants  I  carried  away  .  .  . 

I  set  up  again  and  made  more  populous  than  before.  Peo¬ 
ple  from  lands  which  I  had  taken  I  settled  there.  My  men 
I  set  over  them  as  governors.  Tribute  and  taxes  like  the 
Assyrian  I  set  over  them.”  Rogers,  Cuneiform  Parallels  to 
the  O.  T.  pp.  326  fg. 

References  to  the  construction  of  water  works  in  Jer¬ 
usalem  (2  Kings  20,20;  2  Chron.  32,20)  are  confirmed  by 
the  so-called  Siloam  Inscription.  It  reads:  “  .  .  .  the  pierc¬ 
ing  through.  And  this  was  the  manner  of  the  piercing 
through.  Whilst  yet  each  toward  his  fellow  and  whilst 
yet  there  three  cubits  to  be  cut,  the  voice  of  each  calling  to 
his  fellow,  for  there  was  a  fissure  in  the  rock  on  the  right 
hand  ....  on  the  day  of  the  piercing  through  the  miners 
smote  each  so  as  to  meet  his  fellow,  pick  against  pick. 
And  there  followed  the  water  from  the  source  to  the  pool, 
1,200  cubits  and  one  hundred  cubits  was  the  height  of  the 
rock  over  the  head  of  the  miners.” 

3“As  regards  Hezekiah,  the  Judean,  who  did  not  submit  to 
my  yoke,  forty-six  of  his  mighty  cities,  strongholds,  to¬ 
gether  with  innumerable  small  places  of  their  environs,  by 
the  battering  of  rams  and  the  assault  of  the  siege  engines, 
....  I  besieged,  I  conquered,  200,150  people,  small  and 
large,  male  and  female,  horses,  mules,  asses,  camels,  oxen 
and  sheep  without  number,  from  their  midst  I  carried  out 


92 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


enger  the  treasures  of  the  state,  whereupon  Isaiah 
announces  the  impending  Babylonian  captivity. 

21.  Manasseh1  follows  Hezekiah  and  he  in  turn  is 
followed  by  Amon,  both  were  extremely  wicked. 
Amon  is  succeeded  by  Josiah,  one  of  the  noblest 
kings  in  Judah. 

22.  In  the  course  of  the  religious  reformation  in¬ 
stituted  by  the  king,  Hilkiah  finds  the  book  of  the 
law.  The  destruction  of  the  kingdom  is  announced. 

23.  The  covenant  is  renewed  and  idolatry  is  com¬ 
pletely  destroyed.  In  an  engagement  against 
Nechoh  of  Egypt  he  is  slain  at  Meggido.  His  son 
Jehoahaz  follows  him  as  king,  but  is  taken  captive 
to  Egypt  and  Jehoiakim  rules  in  his  stead. 


and  reckoned  as  booty.  Himself  (that  is  Hezekiah),  like  a 
bird  in  a  cage  in  Jerusalem  his  royal  city  I  penned  him. 
Trenches  against  him  I  threw  up,  and  those  coming  from 
the  gate  of  their  city,  I  forcibly  turned  back.  His  cities 
which  I  had  sacked,  I  cut  off  from  the  country,  and  I  gave 
them  to  Mitinti  of  Ashdod,  Padi,  king  of  Ekron  and  Tsil- 
Baal,  king  of  Gaza,  thus  reducing  his  territory.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  former  tax,  to  pay  yearly,  I  added  a  tribute  of 
subjection  to  my  royalty,  I  placed  upon  them.  Himself 
Hezekiah,  the  fear  of  the  splendor  of  my  lordship  over¬ 
whelmed  him.  The  courage  of  the  Arabians  and  his  faith¬ 
ful  soldiers  whom  he  had  brought  in  for  the  defense  of 
Jerusalem,  his  royal  city,  failed.  Together  with  30  talents 
of  gold  and  800  talents  of  silver,  precious  stones,  .  .  .  his 
daughters,  women  of  his  palace,  ...  to  Nineveh,  my  royal 
city,  I  caused  to  be  brought  after  me;  he  sent  his  am¬ 
bassador  to  offer  tribute  and  perform  homage.” 

This  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  parallel  account  to 
the  Old  Testament  records  which  is  found  in  Assyrian  in¬ 
scriptions.  The  Hebrew  story  of  Sennacherib’s  invasion 
is  recorded  in  Isaiah  36:1  ff.  and  2  Kings  18:13  ff.  Sen¬ 
nacherib’s  account  naturally  differs  considerably  from  it, 
as  it  is  written  from  an  altogether  different  standpoint. 
Clay,  Light  on  the  O.  T.  from  Babel. 

iManasseh,  King  of  Judah,  is  mentioned  as  tributary  in 
a  list  of  twenty-two  of  the  vassal  kings  of  Assurbanipal. 
Price,  The  Monuments  and  the  0.  T.  p.  201  fg. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


93 


24.  Judah  is  now  subdued  by  Babylon,  Jehoiakim 
is  removed  and  Jehoiachin  succeeds.  Egypt  is  con¬ 
quered  by  Nebuchadnezzer  of  Babylon  who  also  car¬ 
ries  a  large  portion  of  the  Jewish  population  among 
them  the  king  and  many  nobles  into  the  Babylonian 
captivity.  Zedekiah  is  made  king,  but  soon  rebels. 

25.  Jerusalem  is  again  besieged,  taken  and  de¬ 
stroyed;  the  king’s  children  are  killed  before  his 
own  eyes,  he  himself  blinded  is  carried  to  Babylon. 
Gedaliah  is  made  satrap  over  the  few  that  remained, 
but  is  killed  and  the  rest  of  the  people  flee  to  Egypt 
fearing  the  wrath  of  Nebuchadnezzar.1 

References  in  the  New  Testament : 

Chapt.  1,10 — Luke  9,54. 

5,14— Luke  4,27. 


J-There  is  hardly  a  single  point  of  contact  with  the  for¬ 
eign  powers  which  does  not  receive  confirmation  from  the 
ancient  records  and  monuments.  The  Assyrian  synchron¬ 
isms,  the  Hall  of  Karnak,  the  stone  of  Mesha,  The  Nineveh 
Monuments,  the  Annals  of  Sennacherib,  lists  of  tributaries 
of  Esarhaddon  and  Assurbanipal,  all  bear  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  Bible  records  of  this  period.  The  Babylonian 
sources  will  receive  further  consideration  at  the  proper 
time.  General  statements  regarding  further  conquests  are 
found  on  the  East  India  House,  Inscription  of  Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar:  “By  his  (Merodach’s)  supreme  aid,  to  far  off  lands, 
distant  hills,  from  the  upper  sea,  to  the  lower  sea,  steep 
trails,  unopened  paths,  ....  difficult  roads,  journeys  with¬ 
out  water,  I  traversed,  and  the  disobedient  I  reduced,  the 
rebellious  I  fettered.  The  land  I  controlled,  and  the  peo¬ 
ple  I  made  to  thrive,  bad  and  good  among  the  people  I 
separated.”  Many  characteristics  of  Nebuchadnezzar  are 
pictured  in  various  passages  of  his  inscriptions.  Ball, 
Light  from  the  East  p.  206. 


XI 

THE  TWO  BOOKS  OF  CHRONICLES 

Title 

These  two  books  were  originally  one.  The  Hebrew 
name  means  “ annals”  or  “journals.”  It  is  called 
Chronicles  from  the  days  of  Jerome  and  according 
to  him  is  “a  chronicle  of  the  whole  of  sacred 
history.” 

Authorship 

According  to  the  Talmud  Ezra  is  the  author,  how¬ 
ever,  this  is  not  definitely  known. 

Contents 

The  Jews  classed  the  Chronicles  among  the  third 
group  of  their  writings.  Many  sources  are  indicated ; 
the  annals  of  the  kingdoms,  Judah  and  Israel ;  the 
sayings  of  Samuel,  Gad,  Nathan,  Ahijah,  Shenmaiah, 
Iddo,  Jehu,  and  of  Isaiah.  The  book  is  undoubtedly 
a  valuable  complement  of  the  preceding  histories. 

Division.  I  Chronicles 

Chapt.  1-10.  The  History  from  Adam  to  Saul. 

Chapt.  11-29.  History  of  David. 

I- 9.  The  book  opens  with  genealogies  of  the  hu¬ 
man  race,  and  particularly  of  the  Jewish  nation 
down  to  Saul ;  it  is  history  in  genealogy. 

10.  Saul  is  killed  on  the  mountain  Gilboa. 

II- 12.  The  largest  figure  in  Jewish  history  at  this 
time  was  David,  and  mighty  men  are  gathered 
around  him. 

12-16.  The  ark  is  brought  to  Jerusalem,  and  feasts 
are  held  in  connection  therewith. 

17.  David  intends  to  build  a  temple. 

18.  David  does  mighty  deeds  of  war. 

19-20.  The  campaign  against  the  Ammonites  and 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


95 


the  Philistines  takes  place. 

21.  The  king  is  tempted  by  Satan  to  number  the 
people. 

22.  The  Temple  is  planned. 

23-27.  The  priests,  Levites,  singers,  and  porters 
for  the  temple  are  enumerated. 

28-29.  Solomon  is  appointed  king  and  admonished 
to  proceed  with  the  building  of  the  temple,  the 
princes  are  encouraged  to  bring  their  offerings  for 
this  cause.  The  people  are  blessed  by  the  old  king 
and  soon  after  David  passes  on  to  his  fathers. 

Division.  II  Chronicles 

Chapt.  1-9.  Solomon’s  reign. _ 

Chapt.  10-36.  History  of  Judah  to  the  exile. 

1.  Solomon  is  shown  as  sacrificing  at  Gilboa;  in 
answer  God  grants  him  wisdom  adding  power  and 
wealth. 

2.  Material  is  obtained  for  his  extensive  building 
plans. 

3-7.  The  completion  and  dedication  of  the  temple 
is  fully  described. 

8.  Other  buildings  are  completed. 

9.  The  queen  of  Sheba  visits  Solomon.  The  king 
is  at  the  height  of  his  power  and  glory. 

10-35.  The  histories  of  Rehoboam,  Abijah,  Asa, 
Jehoshaphat,  Jehoram,  Ahaziah,  Athaliah,  Joash, 
Amaziah,  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz,  Hezekiah,  Man- 
asser,  Amon,  Josiah  are  related. 

36.  The  story  of  the  last  kings  and  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar  and  the  ban¬ 
ishment  of  Judah  follows.  The  70  years  of  captivity 
and  the  permission  of  the  Persian  king  Kores 
(Cyrus)  to  return  concludes  the  narrative. 


XII  CHRONOLOGY 


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XIII 


EZRA 


Title 

This  title  is  derived  from  the  leading  figure  in  this 
book,  being  originally  the  first  part  of  a  book  of 
which  Nehemiah  formed  the  second  part.  The 
language  is  very  much  alike  in  both  writings.  In 
the  exactness  of  dates  and  carefulness  of  the  geneal¬ 
ogies  the  well  trained  hand  of  the  scribe  is  discern¬ 
ible. 

Authorship 

No  valid  reason  has  as  yet  been  advanced  why 
Ezra  should  not  be  the  author  of  the  book,  as  tradi¬ 
tion  claims.  The  occasional  transition  from  the  first 
to  the  third  person,  strange  to  people  which  are 
used  to  adhere  strictly  to  syntax,  is  not  so  unusual 
in  oriental  languages. 

Contents 

The  book  is  a  straightforward  account  of  one  of 
the  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  the  Jews, 
namely  the  return  from  Babylonian  captivity.  Two 
main  stages  may  be  noted.  The  return  commenced 
under  Zerubbabel,  who  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
the  kings  of  Judah,  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus  the 
Great1  in  Babylon  538  B.  C.,  and  in  a  certain  sense 

tThese  records  are  confirmed  by  Babylonian  sources. 
The  Cyrus  Cylinder  relates  that  Cyrus  followed  a  policy  of 
appearing  as  the  minister  of  Merodach  making  it  his  task 
to  restore  the  gods  at  Babylon  to  their  respective  places 
as  also  the  foreign  people  who  dwelt  in  Babylon.  Confer 
Cyrus  Cylinder  lines  26-36.  See  also  Ball,  Light  from  the 
East  pp.  225.  Clay,  Light  on  the  O.  T.  from  Babel  p  383  fg. 

Says  Cyrus:  “Their  sighing  I  stilled,  I  relieved  their 
sorrow.  To  execute  work  of  Merodach,  the  great  Lord 


104 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


was  completed  under  Ezra  during  the  reign  of  Arta- 
xerxes  I  458  B.  C.  The  building  of  the  temple  and 
the  reformation,  together  with  the  struggles  with  the 
adversaries,  the  appeal  to  the  Persian  ruler,  all  this 
is  presented  in  short  graphic  sentences. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-6.  The  First  Return  under  Zerubbabel. 

Chapt.  7-10.  The  Second  Return  under  Ezra. 

1.  Kores,  (Cyrus)  king  of  Persia  permits  the  Jews 
to  return  to  Palestine,  and  urges  them  to  rebuild 
their  temple  which  he  holds  God  has  charged  him 
to  do.  Those  who  do  not  return  are  to  assist  in  the 
work  with  freewill  offerings.  The  vessels  of  the 
temple  are  restored. 

2.  A  minute  enumeration  of  all  persons  who  re¬ 
turned  is  given,  a  total  of  42,360. 

3.  The  altar  is  set  up,  work  begun  and  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  the  temple  are  laid  under  great  rejoicing 
and  mourning. 

4.  The  adversaries  of  the  Jews  complain  on  dif¬ 
ferent  occasions  at  the  Persian  court.1  Work  is 
halted. 


(upon  me)  laid  command.  To  me  Cyrus,  the  king,  that 
feareth  Him,  and  to  Cambyses  the  son,  the  issue  of  (my) 
body  .  .  .  and  to  my  whole  army  he  graciously  inclined, 
and  in  peace  before  it  kindly  ....  all  the  kings  who  abode 
in  royal  halls  who  in  all  quarters  (of  the  world)  .  .  .  the 
gods  that  abode  in  them  I  restored  to  their  places  and 
settled  in  an  eternal  abode;  all  their  population  I  gath¬ 
ered  together  to  their  own  dwelling  places.  And  the 
gods  of  the  land  of  Shinar  and  Accad  whom  Nabonidus,  to 
the  anger  of  the  Lord  of  the  gods,  had  brought  to  Shu- 
Anna.  by  the  command  of  Merodach  the  great  Lord  in 
peacein  their  own  shrines  I  made  inhabit  (again)  a  dwell¬ 
ing  of  heart’s  delight  .  .  .  .  ” 

!The  writer  already  states  here  that  the  Jews  were  ac¬ 
cused  before  Ahasuerus  and  Artaxerxes  although  chrono¬ 
logically  these  events  belong  partly  to  a  later  period. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


105 


5-6.  The  work  is  continued  by  order  of  Darius  I. 
(521-486  B.  C.),  who  upon  searching  the  library  at 
Ecbatana1  finds  that  Kores  (Cyrus)  did  give  the 
decree  which  gave  the  Jews  permission  to  return 
and  to  rebuild  their  temple.  The  temple  is  com¬ 
pleted  and  a  joyful  passover  is  celebrated. 

7-8.  Artaxerxes  I  (465-424  B.  C.)  issues  another 
decree2  and  Ezra  leads  the  second  return  from  cap¬ 
tivity.  Appointments  are  made  and  the  reformation 
of  the  people  continued  by  him. 

9.  Heathen  wives  of  the  Jews  cause  much  trouble. 

10.  The  people  finally  decide  to  dismiss  the 
strange  wives  and  repent  of  their  sins. 

^Reference  on  preceding  page. 

2Confer:  Ahl,  Outline  of  Persian  History,  based  on  the 
Cuneiform  Inscriptions,  p.  90. 


XIV 


NEHEMIAH 

Title 

“The  deeds  of  Nehemiah”  is  the  title  which  the 
book  bears. 

Authorship 

There  can  hardly  be  any  doubt  that  Nehemiah 
himself  is  the  author  of  chief  portions  of  the  book. 
Different  documents  seem  to  have  been  used  in  the 
compilation  of  the  work.  The  style  also  is  distinct 
from  that  of  Ezra. 

Contents 

The  book  contains  the  personal  narrative  of  Ne¬ 
hemiah  himself  as  well  as  the  conditions  in  the  Jew¬ 
ish  community  at  his  time.  The  people  are  depress¬ 
ed,  for  outward  difficulties  and  internal  trials 
abounded.  A  strong  individuality  is  impressed  upon 
the  whole. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-7.  Nehemiah ’s  activities  on  behalf  of  the 
returned  people. 

Chapt.  8-10.  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  institute  reforms. 

Chapt.  11-13.  Additions. 

1-2.  Nehemiah  recounts  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  obtained  his  commission,  and  the  steps  he 
took  for  the  building  of  the  wall. 

3.  The  building  proceeds  rapidly. 

4-5.  Difficulties  are  overcome,  Nehemiah  governs 
the  people  well. 

6.  Sanballat  and  his  friends  plot  against  Nehe¬ 
miah,  but  their  plans  fail. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


107 


7.  The  walls  are  now  finished,  and  arrangements 
are  made  to  guard  them. 

8.  Religious  instruction  is  given  the  people  by 
Ezra  and  the  joyous  feast  of  the  tabernacle  is  cele¬ 
brated. 

9.  A  solemn  fast  is  kept,  the  people  confess  their 
sins  and  the  ancient  covenant  is  renewed  and  sealed. 

10.  The  names  of  those  sealed  are  given  and  the 
terms  of  the  covenant  told. 

11-12.  The  population  of  Jerusalem  is  chosen  by 
lot ;  the  inhabitants  are  counted,  as  are  also  the 
priests  and  the  Levites.  The  dedication  of  the  walls 
of  Jerusalem  is  now  held. 

13.  Nehemiah  journeys  to  Shushan  to  the  court 
of  Artaxerxes,  but  soon  requests  permission  to  re¬ 
turn.  He  finds  confusion  and  disorder.  The  tithes 
are  now  arranged,  marriages  with  the  heathens 
settled,  the  Lord’s  day,  the  Sabbath  is  emphasized 
and  many  other  evils  which  had  crept  in  during  Ne¬ 
hemiah ’s  absence  are  abolished.  The  book  closes 
with  a  prayer. 


XV 


ESTHER 


Title 

This  book  bears  the  name  of  the  chief  actor  in 
this  story,  Esther. 

Authorship 

The  Talmud  accepts  this  book  as  the  work  of  “the 
men  of  the  great  synagogue.”  Some  scholars  have 
ascribed  it  to  Mordecai,  others  again  to  Ezra.  From 
these  and  othbr  conflicting  statements  it  is  apparent 
that  not  even  the  Jewish  church  possessed  a  uniform 
tradition  on  the  subject.  It  is  against  Ezra’s  author¬ 
ship  that  the  style  is  different  from  his  book ;  against 
Mordecai  that  the  first  person  is  never  used,  and 
what  is  meant  exactly  by  attributing  it  to  the  men 
of  the  great  synagogue  is  difficult  to  say.  But  this 
much  is  evident  that  the  book  is  the  work  of  a  single 
author  and  that  this  author  was  a  Jew  well  acquaint¬ 
ed  with  Persian  conditions.  Although  the  Hebrews 
placed  Esther  in  their  Canon  among  the  Chetubim 
it  was  hardly  deemed  of  equal  importance  with  the 
rest  of  the  Scriptures  and  was  never  read  in  the 
synagogue,  but  in  the  Jewish  houses  at  the  Purim 
feasting.  The  Ahasuerus  mentioned  is  Xerxes,  for 
the  Hebrew  Axashverosh  coresponds  to  the  Persian 
xshayarshan  which  the  Greeks  turned  into  Xerxes. 
Besides  the  pillars  of  marble  specified  in  the  first 
chapter  among  other  prominent  features  of  splendor 
enumerated,  point  to  the  palace1  of  Xerxes  and  the 

iConfer:  Tolman,  Cuneiform  Supplement,  47-56.  Ahl, 
Outline  of  Persian  History  based  on  the  Cuneiform  In¬ 
scriptions,  p.  123;  A.  V.  W.  Jackson,  Persia  Past  and 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


109 


capricious  and  foolish  character  of  Ahasuerus  in 
Esther  corresponds  with  the  descriptions  given  of 
Xerxes  in  history. 

Contents 

The  little  book  contains  an  episode  in  the  history 
of  those  Jews  who  preferred  to  remain  in  the  for¬ 
eign  land.  The  purpose  of  the  book,  though  the 
name  of  God  is  not  mentioned,  possibly  for  reveren¬ 
tial  reasons,  is  to  show  Jehovah’s  unseen  hand  in  the 
history  of  his  people. 

Chapt.  1.  Ahasuerus  makes  a  great  feast  and 
Vashti,  the  queen,  is  sent  for  to  show  her  beauty, 
but  refuses  to  come  and  is  thereupon  degraded. 

2.  Among  the  virgins  brought  to  the  palace  the 
most  beautiful  is  found  to  be  Esther  and  she  is  made 
queen.  Mordecai,  her  relative,  discovers  a  plot 
against  the  king  and  this  is  recorded  in  the  Persian 
chronicles. 

3.  Hainan  advanced  by  the  king,  demands  obeis¬ 
ance,  but  is  despised  by  Mordecai.  On  this  account 
he  plans  to  exterminate  all  the  Jews  in  the  land. 

4-5.  Esther  is  induced  to  intercede  for  her  people 
and  at  the  risk  of  her  life  enters  the  throne  room 
and  invites  the  king  and  Haman  to  a  banquet. 

6.  The  king  during  a  sleepless  night  has  the  court 
chronicles  read  to  him  and  since  the  good  service  of 
Mordecai  is  called  back  to  his  memory  he  decides  to 
honor  him,  and  Haman  believing  the  king  thought 


Present;  Weissbach  Keilinschriften  der  Achaemeniden; 
Loftus,  Travels  and  Researches  in  Chaldea  and  Susiana. 
Perrot  et  Chipiez,  De  L’Art  dans  Antiquite;  Dieulafoy, 
L’Acropole  De  Suse. 


110 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


to  honor  him  gives  counsel  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
honors  to  be  conferred. 

7-8.  Now  the  banquet  takes  place,  Esther  de¬ 
nounces  Hainan  and  his  plan,  and  the  king  orders 
him  hanged  to  the  tree  which  he  had  prepared  for 
Mordecai. 

9.  A  new  edict  is  made  and  the  Jews  are  allowed 
to  defend  themselves  against  their  attackers.  Many 
Persians  are  killed  and  the  Jews  institute  the  Purim 
festival  in  memory  of  this  victory. 

10.  The  book  closes  with  praising  the  greatness  of 
Mordecai  and  his  wise  administration. 


XVI 


HEBREW  POETRY 

Hebrew  poetry  is  chiefly  found  in  Job,  Psalms, 
Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  the  Song  of  Solomon. 
But  fragments  of  poetry  will  be  readily  recognized 
in  the  prophetical  books  and  in  scattered  places 
throughout  the  Old  Testament. 

Hebrew  poetry  cannot  strictly  be  divided  into 
epic,  lyric,  and  dramatic.  The  epic  glorifies  the 
heroic  deeds  of  a  nation.  Since,  however,  all  deeds 
of  national  importance  were  accomplished  by  Divine 
aid  there  is  no  room  for  songs  and  legends  of  heroes. 
The  drama  is  not  found  to  a  great  degree,  although 
Job  and  Song  of  Solomon  might  be  classified  as 
modified  dramas.  Israel’s  poetry  was  lyric,  for  it 
expresses  feeling,  observation,  and  resolution.  It 
may  be  divided  into  two  parts,  namely :  the  Shir 
(song)  and  the  Mashal  (didactic  poetry).  There  is 
neither  meter  nor  alliterations ;  even  the  rhyme  is 
rare.  But  the  form  is  a  parallelism  with  certain 
rhythmic  contrasts.  The  thought  may  be  the  same 
(synonym)  or  opposite  (antithetic)  or  combined 
(synthetic).  Some  poems  are  alphabetic,  each  verse 
or  section  beginning  with  a  letter  of  the  alphabet. 

The  historical  development  of  Hebrew  poetry  has 
three  periods :  The  Mosaic,  the  Davidic-Solomonic, 
and  the  post-exilian  time. 

The  great  song  of  Moses  on  the  banks  of  the  Red 
Sea,  the  90th  Psalm,  the  song  and  the  benediction  of 
Moses  belong  to  the  first  period. 

The  second  period  witnesses  the  poetry  at  its 
height  under  David,  Solomon  and  the  other  singers 


112 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


and  prophets.  The  post-exilian  period  contains 
some  poetry  mentioned  in  2  Chronicles  20,  and  2 
Chronicles  29.  The  style,  like  all  oriental  poetry,  is 
simple.  Even  in  the  garb  of  a  translation  does  its 
beauty  and  sublimity  appear.  An  abundance  of 
pictures  and  symbols  drawn  from  innumerable 
sources,  prevails.  Yet  always  the  charm  of  simplicity 
rests  over  the  whole. 

The  underlying  thought  is  the  same  as  that  found 
in  the  historical  books,  namely,  Jehovah  is  the  pro¬ 
tector  and  benefactor  of  his  people.  The  poetical 
works  were  written  at  various  times,  some  being  of 
earlier,  others  of  later  date  than  some  historical 
books. 


XVII 


JOB 


Title 

Job  is  the  principal  character  of  this  book  and  it 
is  from  him  that  it  receives  its  name. 

Authorship 

The  only  tradition  which  has  come  down  to  us 
with  respect  to  the  authorship  of  this  book  ascribes 
the  same  to  Moses.  Aben  Ezra  (about  1150  A.  D.) 
asserts  the  general  opinion  of  “the  sages  of  blessed 
memory”  to  be  agreed  on  that  point.  Outside  of 
this  the  numerous  opinions  expressed  are  simply 
conjectures.  The  book  is  probably  very  ancient. 
The  Talmud  and  the  writings  of  the  Rabbis  as  also 
the  works  of  some  church  fathers  express  the  opin¬ 
ion  that  the  book  was  written  even  before  the  giving 
of  the  law  since  the  law  of  Moses  is  nowhere  men¬ 
tioned,  and  the  name  employed  for  God  is  not  Jahve, 
but  Elohim.  Certain  it  is  that  the  manners,  customs, 
and  modes  of  life  described  are  such  as  belong  espe¬ 
cially  to  the  times  which  are  commonly  called  “pa¬ 
triarchal.”  The  civilization  is  of  a  primitive  type. 
The  historical  allusions  touch  nothing  of  recent  date 
such  as  the  Exodus,  the  Law  Giving,  the  Conquest 
of  Canaan,  the  reign  of  Solomon  or  the  Captivity  of 
the  kings  and  the  stirring  times  following.  Instead 
of  that,  however,  such  ancient  things  as  the  Pyra¬ 
mids,  the  apostacy  of  Nimrod,  the  flood,  the  de¬ 
struction  of  “the  cities  of  the  plain”  are  mentioned. 

From  all  evidence  available  it  is  certain  that  the 
book  is  not  a  creature  of  the  author’s  imagination, 


114 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


as  is  thought  by  many,  but  has  a  historical  back¬ 
ground.  This  is  attested  by  the  Jewish  rabbis,  the 
early  Christian  fathers  and  the  Bible  itself.  Ezekiel 
14,14;  James  5,11. 

The  field  of  action  is  the  Arabian  desert  to  the 
Southeast  of  Palestine.  The  purpose  of  the  book  is 
to  show :  Why  does  the  righteous  man  suffer  ?  Why 
are  some  men  overwhelmed  with  misfortune  and 
others  prosperous?  Is  the  grave  the  end  of  every¬ 
thing  or  is  it  not?  Is  God  just  and  does  he  rule  the 
world  according  to  the  principle  of  justice?  Satan 
by  implication  denies  this.  But  Job’s  faith  comes 
forth  from  these  trials  triumphantly. 

Division 

1-3.  Introductory  History  of  Job. 

4-31.  Discussions  of  Job  and  his  friends  as  to  the 
cause  of  his  suffering. 

32-41.  The  Solution  of  the  .Problem. 

42.  Conclusion. 

Chapt.  1.  Job,  a  man  in  the  land  of  Uz,  is  known 
for  his  piety  and  wealth ;  but  Satan  accuses  him  be¬ 
fore  God  of  insincerity  and  obtains  permission  to 
tempt  Job.  His  wealth  and  children  and  health  are 
taken  away,  yet  he  remains  faithful,  and  says:  ‘‘The 
Lord  has  given,  the  Lord  has  taken,  blessed  be  his 
name.” 

2.  Satan  obtains  further  leave  to  smite  him  with 
boils,  his  wife  reproves,  his  friends  are  silent. 

3.  Job  curses  the  day  of  his  birth  and  complains 
of  life. 

4-5.  Eliphaz  reproves  Job  for  want  of  religion. 
God  does  not  punish  the  innocent. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


115 


6-7.  Job  justifies  his  attitude  by  the  severeness  of 
his  trials.  God  appears  as  a  merciless  spy. 

8.  Bildad  shows  how  God  is  just,  the  wicked  only 
suffer. 

9-10.  Job  cannot  free  himself  from  the  thought 
of  God’s  arbitrariness. 

11.  Zophar  now  emphasizes  God’s  ability  to  search 
out  the  hidden  things. 

12-14.  Job’s  third  reply  is:  God  is  almighty,  he 
can  accomplish  what  he  pleases,  “man,  however, 
born  of  a  woman,  is  of  a  few  days  and  full  of 
trouble,  he  cometh  forth  like  a  flower  and  is  cut 
down,  he  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow  and  continueth  not.” 

15.  The  second  time  Eliphaz  reproves  Job  on  ac¬ 
count  of  impiety. 

16-17.  Job  accuses  his  friends  of  being  unmerciful, 
and  appeals  from  men  to  God. 

18.  Bildad  portrays  the  wicked  and  points  to  Job. 

19.  Job  replies  to  him:  “I  know  that  my  redeemer 
liveth,”  etc. 

20.  Zophar  illustrates  the  end  of  the  wicked. 

21.  Job  points  out  that  the  wicked  are  often  pros¬ 
perous  to  their  end.  The  words  of  his  friends  are 
in  vain. 

22.  A  third  attempt  is  made  to  convince  Job. 
Eliphaz  intimates  that  Job  has  committed  some 
great  sin  and  asks  that  he  repent. 

23.  Job  re-asserts  his  innocence. 

24.  God  is  powerful,  his  ways  are  mysterious,  and 
sinners  prosper. 

25.  Bildad  replies,  before  God  no  one  is  just. 

26.  Job  asks,  who  can  understand  God  in  his  ex' 
altedness? 


116 


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27.  Again  he  re-iterates  his  innocence. 

28.  “For  man  the  fear  of  God  and  avoidance  of 
evil  are  wisdom.” 

29-31.  Job  again  moans  his  fate  and  affirms  his 
innocence. 

32-33.  Elihu  angry  at  Job  and  his  friends  for  their 
failure  to  find  a  solution,  claims  that  he  possesses 
God’s  spirit.  It  is:  sufferings  ABE  FOR  THE  PUR¬ 
POSE  OF  REFINEMENT. 

34.  God  remains  just  even  toward  the  wicked. 

35.  Man  should  not  reason  with  him. 

-  36.  Job  must  wait  with  patience  till  God  shall 
help  him  out  of  his  troubles. 

37.  The  wonders  in  nature  prove  his  ability  and 
power. 

38-39.  God  himself  appears  in  a  thunderstorm, 
Job  is  asked  to  behold  all  the  works  of  creation, 
which  shows  his  wisdom. 

40.  Job  humbleth  himself. 

41.  God  again  speaks  to  him  and  shows  him  two 
mighty  creatures  and  his  own  helplessness. 

42.  Job  submits  himself  to  God,  his  friends  are 
corrected  for  their  wrong  words.  Refined  like  gold 
in  the  fire  Job  comes  forth  from  the  furnace  of 
trials.  He  is  blessed  again  with  wealth  and  many 
children,  and  a  long  life  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
years  is  granted  him  in  addition.  Thus  sufferings 
became  the  way  to  greater  glory. 


XVIII 


THE  BOOK  OF  PSALMS 

Title 

The  usual  Hebrew  title  of  this  collection  of  sacred 
poetry  is  Tehillim  which  means  “praises”  or  “book 
of  praises.”  The  designation  Psalm  is  derived  from 
the  Greek  PSALMOS,  that  is  a  poem  to  be  sung  to  a 
stringed  instrument.  Since  the  Psalms  were  sung 
at  the  Jewish  worship,  the  name  PSALMOI  appeared 
appropriate.  Luke  used  the  Greek  term  (20,42; 
Acts  1,20),  so  did  St.  Paul  (Acts  13,33)  and  possibly 
the  Lord  also  (Luke  24,44). 

Authorship 

The  principle  contributor  to  this  collection  is 
David,  and  for  this  reason  the  Book  is  often  called 
The  Psalms1  of  David.  Seventy-three  are  ascribed 
to  him.  The  next  most  important  contributor 
would  seem  to  be  Asaph  who  was  one  of  the  heads 
of  David’s  choir  at  Jerusalem,  twelve  Psalms  being 
assigned  to  him.  A  number  are  ascribed  to  the  family 
of  Korahite  Levites.  Four  are  by  some  ascribed  to 
Haggai  and  Zechariah,  two  to  Solomon,  one  each  to 
Moses,  Ethan,  Heman.  The  rest  of  these  hymns  are 
anonymous.  The  superscriptions  of  which  some  are 
of  later  origin  are  meant  to  give  the  name  of  the 
author  or  directions  for  musical  rendering  or  both. 
The  “Selah,”  which  is  employed  quite  frequently, 
indicated  a  pause  in  singing  and  an  interlude.  The 
Hebrew  Psalm  is  not  unlike  the  Babylonian  Psalm.2 

lFor  fuller  discussion  confer  James  Orr,  The  Problem 
of  the  Old  Testament  pp.  433  fg.,  and  Peters,  Bible  and 
Spade,  p.  132  fg. 

2Barton,  Archaeology  and  the  Bible. 


118 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


The  significance  of  both  along  with  other  ancient 
hymns,  was  to  some  extent  liturgical.  The  121st 
Psalm  is  a  good  example  of  this. 

Contents 

The  Psalms  embrace  the  various  experiences  of 
life  both  in  the  individual  and  the  nation  as  such. 
In  the  Christian  church  they  won  for  themselves  a 
place  even  above  that  which  for  centuries  they  had 
held  in  Jewish  church.  They  are  used  in  public  and 
private  devotions,  have  been  made  the  basis  of 
hymns  and  sermons,  and  Christ  and  the  Apostles  re¬ 
ferred  to  them  frequently.  The  early  fathers  de¬ 
lighted  in  them  and  no  man  was  admitted  to  the 
higher  orders  of  the  ministry  unless  he  knew,  among 
other  things,  David’s  Psalter  by  heart.  The  warmth 
of  devotion  inflames  the  heart  to  greater  affection  to 
God  and  there  is  scarcely  a  subject  of  importance  in 
the  life  of  God’s  children  that  does  not  find  some 
treatment  in  this  treasure  house  of  the  ancient 
singers. 

Division 

The  whole  collection  is  divided  into  five  distinct 
books. 

Book  I — Psalm  1-41. 

Book  II — Psalm  42-72. 

Book  III— Psalm  73-89. 

Book  IV — Psalm  90-106. 

Book  V— Psalm  107-150. 

Classes  of  Psalms 

Messianic  Psalms. 

Penitential  Psalms. 

Praise  Psalms. 

Devotional  Psalms. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


119 


Didactic  Psalms. 

Prayers  for  Government. 

Historical  Psalms. 

A  brief  outline  only  is  needed  here  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  in  view. 

Book  I.  Psalm  1.  The  first  Psalm  is  the  introduc¬ 
tion  to  the  whole  book.  The  subject  is  The  Happi¬ 
ness  of  the  Godly. 

2.  A  Messianic  prophecy.  God’s  own  anointed 
shall  reign  over  the  world. 

3.  A  morning  hymn.  God  is  security  for  those 
who  trust  him. 

4.  Man’s  happiness  is  derived  from  God’s  favor. 

5.  David  professes  his  faith  and  prays  to  God 
for  guidance. 

6.  Prayer  for  redemption  from  distress  of  body 
and  soul. 

7.  Faith  sees  a  defence  against  the  enemies. 

8.  A  Messianic  Psalm.  God  is  glorified  in  his  works. 

9.  A  song  of  praise. 

10.  The  wicked  outrage  David  and  he  prays  for 
a  remedy. 

11.  David  has  confidence  in  the  face  of  his  enemies. 

12.  The  natural  corruption  of  man,  and  the  salva¬ 
tion  in  God. 

13.  A  cry  for  help  in  the  time  of  persecution. 

14.  The  general  corruption  in  Israel  and  the  world. 

15.  Who  shall  be  a  citizen  of  Zion? 

16.  A  prayer  for  restoration  in  serious  illness. 

17.  David  desires  defence  against  [his  enemies 
who  are  proud  and  crafty. 

18.  A  hymn  for  salvation  from  all  enemies. 


120 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


19.  God  reveals  his  glory  in  nature  and  in  the 
law  of  Moses. 

20.  The  congregation  has  confidence  in  the  help 
of  the  Almighty. 

21.  A  thanksgiving  for  victory. 

22.  A  Messianic  Psalm.  May  God  justify  the  con¬ 
fidence  of  him  that  suffers. 

23.  The  Good  Shepherd  and  his  flock. 

24.  God  is  Lord  of  the  world  and  the  fulness 
thereof. 

25.  A  prayer  against  the  enemies  and  for  the 
grace  of  God. 

26-28.  Prayers  for  deliverance  from  afflictions. 

29-30.  God’s  glory  is  revealed  and  praise  is  due 
him  for  his  help. 

31.  Petition  for  help. 

32.  The  blessedness  of  forgiveness. 

33-41.  God  shows  himself  favorable  to  his  servant 
and  receives  praise. 

BOOK  II.  42-43.  Poems  from  exile  of  David  dur¬ 
ing  the  revolt  of  Absalom. 

44.  A  complaint  possibly  from  the  time  of  Heze- 
kiah. 

45.  Messianic.  The  glory  of  the  kingdom. 

46-48.  These  Psalms  belong  together  and  refer 

probably  to  the  deliverance  under  Hezekiah. 

49.  The  wicked  is  only  prosperous  for  a  short  time. 

50.  The  majesty  of  God  in  his  church. 

51.  David  humiliates  himself  in  penitential  prayer 
before  God. 

52-62.  David  is  afflicted  and  prays  for  deliverance. 

63.  The  thirst  for  God. 

64.  David  prays  for  deliverance. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


121 


65-69.  Praise  is  given  God. 

70-72.  Petition  for  deliverance  from  various  afflic¬ 
tions. 

BOOK  III.  73.  The  happiness  of  the  wicked,  and 
confidence  in  God’s  justice. 

74.  A  lamentation  from  the  days  of  the  Babylon¬ 
ian  captivity. 

75-83.  Psalms  with  a  historical  background. 

84.  The  prophet  longs  for  the  communion  of  the 
sanctuary. 

85.  A  prayer  for  new  graces  for  Israel. 

86.  David’s  prayer  for  safety  for  his  own  person. 

87.  The  foundation  of  Zion. 

88-89.  Prayer  for  God’s  favor  and  acknowledge¬ 
ment  thereof  afterwards. 

BOOK  IV.  90.  The  Psalm  of  Moses. 

91.  The  safety  of  the  God  fearing. 

92-100.  Praise  for  God  who  has  revealed  his  ma¬ 
jesty  in  history  and  nature. 

101.  David  makes  a  vow. 

102-106.  God  is  powerful ;  this  is  seen  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  Israel.  Praise  is  due  him. 

BOOK  V.  107-109.  Praise  of  God  in  divers  con¬ 
ditions  of  life. 

110.  Messianic  prophecy. 

111-113.  Praise  is  given  God. 

114.  Historical  Psalm  about  a  deliverance  under 
Moses. 

115-116.  The  Psalmist’s  confidence  is  in  God  and 
he  studies  to  be  thankful. 

117-120.  Sundry  prayers  and  praises  and  di¬ 
dactics. 


122 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


121.  The  safety  of  him  who  puts  his  trust  in  the 
Lord. 

122.  The  Psalmist  rejoices  as  he  thinks  of  the 
church. 

123-125.  God  blesses  his  people  in  various  ways  if 
they  have  confidence. 

126.  A  grateful  retrospect  upon  the  days  of  the 
captivity. 

127-129.  God  blesses  his  people  in  sundry  manners. 

130.  A  hymn  of  penitence  and  trust. 

131-133.  The  sweetness  of  fellowship  with  God 
and  the  congregation  of  Zion. 

134-139.  Praises  to  God. 

140-144.  Various  prayers. 

145-150.  Exhortations  to  praise  God  for  various 
reasons. 


XIX 

THE  PROVERBS 


Title 

The  Hebrew  name  of  this  book  is  Mishle,  the  Sep- 
tuagint  called  it  PAROIMIAI,  the  Vulgata  LIBER 
PROVERBORUM,  the  early  Christian  writers  fre¬ 
quently  applied  to  it  the  name  SOPHIA  or  the 
Wisdom. 

Authorship 

Three  portions  of  the  work  are  prefaced  with 
Solomon’s  name.  But  two  other  sections  are  at¬ 
tributed  to  Augur1  and  Lemuel2  respectively,  so  that 
the  volume  itself  professes  to  be  composed  bv  three 
authors.  Besides  this  there  are  two  appendices  con¬ 
taining  words  of  the  wise.  It  is  natural  that  the 
Jews  should  ascribe  this  work  to  their  great  king, 
who  is  said  to  have  spoken  three  thousand  proverbs. 
However,  there  are  variations  in  language, and  the 
contents  also  point  to  different  authors,  although 
it  is  evident  that  the  “words  of  Solomon”  form  the 
kernel  of  the  whole.  As  to  the  time  there  is  no  evi¬ 
dence  except  that  the  friends  of  Hezekiah  copied 
certain  sections  from  previous  records  and  this  of 
course  took  place  during  the  regime  of  that  king 
(Proverbs  25,1).  The  whole  work  is  a  rhythmical 
construction  with  both  antithetic  and  synthetic 
parallelisms. 

Contents 

It  has  rightly  been  called  “a  manual  of  practical 

^Nothing  is  known  as  to  who  Agur  is. 

2Lemuel  has  been  thought  to  be  an  Israelitic  prince, 
although  this  is  not  certain. 


124 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


rules  for  daily  life,  as  the  Psalms  are  a  manual  of 
daily  devotion,  the  former  guiding  the  action  and 
the  latter  the  thought.”  It  presents  lessons  for  all 
ages  and  conditions  of  men.  Wisdom  is  religion, 
and  folly  is  irreligion.  These  principles  find  ex¬ 
pressions  in  an  almost  endless  variety  of  applications. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-  9 — Exhortations  of  a  father  to  youth. 

Chapt.  10-24 — Sayings  on  a  large  number  of  sub¬ 
jects. 

Chapt.  25-29 — Sayings  of  Solomon  gathered  by 
Ilezekiah’s  friends. 

Chapt.  30-31 — Appendices. 

Chapt.  1.  The  motto  of  the  whole  book  is:  THE 
FEAR  OF  THE  LORD  IS  THE  BEGINNING  OF 
WISDOM. 

2.  Wisdom  promises  godliness  to  her  children  and 
direction  in  good  ways. 

3.  Faith  and  charitableness  are  necessary  to  true 
wisdom. 

4.  Solomon  reveals  the  instruction  he  has  received 
from  his  parents. 

6-9.  Youth  is  further  admonished  to  a  pure  life 
and  fidelity  to  God’s  holy  commandments.  Folly  in¬ 
vites  destruction  and  wisdom  brings  prosperity. 

10-24.  Various  isolated  maxims  are  found  here, 
flowing  along  in  rapid  courses  like  the  mountain 
streams  with  certain  symbols  recurring  frequently 
such  as  “fountain,”  “well,”  “tree,”  “healing”  and 
others.  Words  of  the  wise  conclude  this  section. 
The  form  of  these  words  is  different  from  that  of 
Solomon. 

25.  The  collections  made  by  the  friends  of  Heze- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


125 


kiah  begins  with  observations  about  kings  and 
causes  and  avoidance  of  quarrel. 

26-29.  Observations  are  continued.  Fools  and 
busybodies,  self-love  and  true  love,  impiety  and 
piety,  public  and  private  government  are  made  the 
subjects. 

30.  Agur,  the  son  of  Jakeh  makes  a  confession  of 
his  belief  and  teaches  in  a  manifold  garb  the  true 
wisdom  and  its  value  in  life. 

31.  In  this  last  chapter  Lemuel  speaks  of  the 
prophecy  which  his  mother  has  taught  him.  Espe¬ 
cially  does  he  address  himself  first  to  the  kings,  but 
then  beginning  with  the  tenth  verse  he  sings  the 
praise  of  the  virtuous  house-wife. 

References  in  the  New  Testament: 

Chapt.  3,11 — Hebr.  12,5-6  Chapt.  3,34 — 1  Peter  5,5 

Rev.  3,19  25,21  fg. — Rom.  12,20 

3,34 — James  4,6 


XX 


ECCLESIASTES  OR  THE  PREACHER 

Title 

In  Hebrew  the  book  is  called  Koheleth,  named 
after  the  opening  sentence:  ‘‘The  words  of  Koheleth, 
the  son  of  David,  King  in  Jerusalem.’ ’  The  Greek  and 
Latin  version  designated  it  as  Ecclesiastes,  which 
according  to  Jerome  is  a  person  who  gathers  a  con¬ 
gregation  or  the  ECCLESIA. 

Authorship 

Universal  tradition  of  antiquity  has  ascribed  this 
book  to  Solomon.  Modern  scholarship  has  found 
that  the  language  and  character  of  the  book  bears 
sign  of  post-exilian  times.  It  is  also  noted  that  the 
writer  speaks  from  a  broad  international  basis  as 
man  to  man,  as  one  of  the  great  human  family.  The 
author  is  probably  a  ripe  old  sage  who  lived  in 
Jerusalem,  showing,  that  beneath  all  vanity,  all  sad 
experience  lies  a  firm  faith  in  the  justice  of  God  and 
a  belief  in  a  future  judgment.  On  account  of  ap¬ 
parent  contradictions  with  other  Scriptures  found 
here  and  there  this  book  has  not  been  undisputed  as 
to  its  canonical  value.  But  these  difficulties  do  not 
really  exist,  for  in  most  instances  in  question  the 
writer  gives  the  idea  of  the  world  and  does  not 
mean  to  say  that  it  is  his  own  view.  Undoubtedly 
the  same  spirit  that  guided  the  pens  of  the  other 
writers  guided  the  pen  of  this  one  also.  Perhaps 
the  need  for  a  New  Testament  revelation  appears 
clearer  in  this  book  than  in  any  other. 

Contents 

There  is  a  fundamental  theme  going  through  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


127 


whole  and  that  is,  ALL  IS  VANITY,  ALL  IS 
VANITY. 

There  is  nothing  permanent,  neither  pleasure  nor 
riches  nor  powers,  nor  wickedness  nor  injustice.  He 
who  enjoys  what  God  grants  him,  keeping  his  com¬ 
mandments  is  truly  wise  and  happy. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-6.  The  vain  things  in  life  are  disap¬ 
pointing. 

Chapt.  7-12.  Happiness  lies  in  the  fear  of  God. 

Chapt.  1.  All  is  vanity. 

2.  Vain  are  earthly  troubles,  things,  possessions, 
wisdom  and  labor. 

3.  All  things  earthly  have  their  time,  cause  much 
of  labor  and  trouble  to  man,  but  soon  disappear. 
Therefore  man  must  not  burden  his  heart  with  them. 

4-5.  Serve  God,  do  good  works  and  be  content. 
Riches  bring  no  peace. 

6.  The  wise  man  does  not  contend  with  God. 

7-11.  Exhortations  to  a  God  fearing  life,  obedi¬ 
ence  to  government.  Only  wisdom  is  profitable. 
Enjoy  life  as  long  as  you  can,  especially  in  youth, 
but  remember  that  God  will  call  for  an  account  on 
the  Judgment  Day. 

12.  Enjoy  the  time  of  youth  in  the  fear  of  God 
before  the  days  come,  of  which  it  shall  be  said,  they 
please  not.  For  after  the  toil  and  labor  of  life,  after 
all  vanity  comes  the  hour  of  judgment.  Charity 
and  godliness  are  the  only  offsets  to  vanity. 


XXI 

SONG  OF  SONGS 


Title 

Song  of  Songs  which  is  Solomon’s  is  the  title 
which  this  book  bears  in  Hebrew  in  accordance  with 
the  appellation  found  in  the  book  itself.  The  Vul- 
gata  terms  it  Canticum  Canticorum.  The  Septua- 
gint  named  it  ASMA,  the  song.  The  English  desig¬ 
nation  Song  of  Solomon  has  no  ancient  authority 
and  is  rightly  altered  in  the  Revised  Version  to 
Song  of  Songs. 

Authorship 

The  Jews  never  doubted  the  authorship  and  can- 
onicity  of  the  Song  of  Songs.  While  there  has  been 
considerable  doubt  in  regard  to  this  matter  by  some 
scholars,  such  authorities  as  Ewald,  Zoeckler, 
Delitzsch,  and  Davidson  with  many  others  agree, 
that  it  comes  from  the  period  of  Solomon,  though 
they  do  not  all  admit  the  royal  authorship.  No  di¬ 
rect  allusion  is  made  to  it  in  the  New  Testament.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  it  is  not  unworthy  of  the  wise 
king  whose  name  it  bears.  Should  it  be  true, 
as  is  claimed,  that  the  passage  “Song  of  Songs 
which  is  Solomon’s”  has  been  added  by  another 
hand,  no  fair  minded  scholar  can  successfully  deny 
that  it  belongs  to  Solomonic  times  and  that  language 
and  contents,  the  former  resembling  that  of  the 
book  of  Proverbs,  confirm  this  likelihood. 

Contents  and  Meaning 

This  love  song  of  rare  beauty  and  tenderness  un¬ 
doubtedly  was  intended  as  an  allegory  of  a  higher 
relationship  than  that  between  two  ardent  lovers. 


/ 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


129 


At  least  this  must  be  the  assigned  reason  why  the 
Talmud  thinks  so  highly  of  it.  It  is  the  lesson  of 
fidelity  of  the  Old  Testament  Church  to  her  Lord. 
The  burden  of  the  song  is  love.  The  actors  are  the 
bride,  the  beloved,  her  brothers,  and  the  daughters 
of  Jerusalem  forming  a  chorus.  The  scene  is  first 
the  northern  part  of  the  kingdom;  then  Jerusalem. 

Chapt.  1.  Shulamith,  the  beloved,  is  waiting  for 
the  arrival  of  her  lover,  surrounded  by  a  chorus  of 
Girls,  and  is  pouring  out  her  heart  in  the  raptures 
of  her  happiness.  The  girls  respond.  Her  royal 
lover  appears. 

2.  The  bride  recalls  in  memory  the  beautiful 
spring  day  of  love  in  her  native  country.  The  stern 
brothers  disturb  this  romance.  But  her  yearning 
is  satisfied. 

3-4.  The  nuptial  festivities  are  described,  the 
bridegroom  and  bride  rejoice  in  each  other  and 
some  of  the  choicest  poetry  is  found  in  this  section 
of  the  composition. 

5-8.  Under  the  figure  of  a  dream  the  bride  de¬ 
scribes  the  temporary  separation  from  the  bride¬ 
groom.  Her  misery  and  her  longing  for  him  is 
great.  The  bride  and  her  companions  hold  a  collo¬ 
quy,  mingled  with  expressions  of  ecstatic  delight. 
Then  the  bridegroom  returns  and  the  joy  is  extended 
even  upon  her  kindred.  The  groom  praises  her 
graces.  The  poem  ends  with  the  charming  melody 
of  the  bride  singing  one  of  her  familiar  love  songs, 
inviting  her  lover  to  her  side. 

The  theories  of  interpretation  of  this  book  are 
numerous  indeed,  but  only  the  three  main  ones  are 
given  consideration  here.  The  allegorical  interpre- 


130 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


tation  has  had  many  staunch  defenders.  In  the 
Middle  ages  large  and  full  commentaries  were 
wrought  out  with  great  ingenuity  along  this  line. 
The  Reformation  period  and  many  recent  scholars 
held  chiefly  to  the  view  known  as  the  typical,  em¬ 
ploying  Solomon  as  a  type  of  God  or  Christ.  The 
third  main  theory  is  the  naturalistic  view,  which  in¬ 
terprets  the  work  upon  pure  naturalistic  principles 
on  the  ground  of  literary  worth  and  poetic  arrange¬ 
ment,  held  mostly  by  scholars  of  rationalistic  tend¬ 
encies.  It  is  difficult  to  decide  which  of  the  three 
interpretations  of  this  lyric-drama  encounters  the 
least  weighty  objections.  The  truth  is  likely  to  be 
found  in  the  mean  between  extremes.  The  book 
commends  itself  to  those  who  interpret  it  spiritually 
as  well  as  to  the  lovers  of  nature,  field,  flock  and 
flowers,  and  the  charm  of  its  poetry  must  command 
the  interest  of  every  reader  of  the  poem. 


XXII 

PROPHETISM 

Prophetism  goes  back  to  Moses ;  and  no  lesser  per¬ 
son  than  he  himself  is  authority  for  this,  saying:  “A 
prophet  like  unto  me  shall  Jehovah  thy  God  raise 
from  among  thee  and  thy  brethren.”  The  chief 
characteristics  and  ideas  of  Moses  are  also  the  ideals 
of  the  prophets  of  whom  Moses  was  a  forerunner. 
But  there  has  been  a  development  since  his  days. 
The  outlook  has  become  wider,  more  emphasis  is 
given  to  ethical  aspects,  and  nationalism  has  broad¬ 
ened  into  a  modified  universalism,  especially  among 
the  later  prophets.  The  name  “prophet”  indicates 
a  speaker,  that  is,  one  who  speaks  what  God  had  con¬ 
fided  to  him.  He  is  also  designated  as  “seer,”  be¬ 
cause  he  sees  what  God  has  revealed.  The  first 
designation  refers  to  his  office,  and  the  second  to 
his  gift. 

He  differs  from  the  heathen  mantic,  the  repre¬ 
sentative  of  heathen  prophetism.  For  the  Biblical 
prophet  retains  consciousness  while  prophesying, 
whilst  the  heathen  mantic  loses  consciousness  in  his 
ecstasy,  when  interpreting  the  will  of  the  gods  as 
he  sees  it. 

The  form  of  prophecy  is  threefold,  the  prophetic 
word,  vision  and  dream,  and  the  symbolic  act,  in 
which  frequently  the  prophet  presents  in  his  own 
person  what  God  has  commanded  him,  in  order  that 
his  hearers  may  observe  in  him  the  truth  conveyed. 

Since  the  days  of  Samuel  prophetism  becomes  a 
distinct  office  and  the  prophets  a  separate  class. 
They  unite  into  associations  and  prophetic  schools, 


132 


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and  become  the  centers  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
nation.  Their  mode  of  living  corresponds  to  the 
solemnity  of  their  office. 

The  office  was  never  hereditarv  like  that  of  the 

•  * 

priesthood,  but  a  special  call  from  God  created  a 
bearer  of  the  sacred  office  of  prophecy. 

The  prophet  was  to  announce  the  Divine  counsel 
and  the  kings  were  to  be  the  executors  of  the  Divine 
will.  Since,  however,  many  kings  were  wicked  and 
followed  their  own  evil  inclinations,  many  of  the 
prophets  became  martyrs  of  their  cause,  and  objects 
of  contempt  and  severest  persecution. 

The  older  prophets  occupied  themselves  exclusive¬ 
ly  with  the  affairs  of  Israel,  whilst  the  later  prophets 
have  messages  both  for  Israel  and  the  world  at  large. 
They  were,  however,  not  merely  foretellers  of  events 
to  come,  but  also  messengers  of  God’s  purpose,  they 
were  statesmen,  reformers,  theologians,  preachers, 
and  authors. 

The  period  of  Isaiah  is  the  classical  one ;  at  this 
time  prophecy  was  at  its  height.  The  period  before 
Isaiah  brought  forth  only  occasional  writing,  the 
language  is  strong,  the  sense  often  mysterious 
(Hosea) . 

The  period  of  Isaiah  presents  a  persepective  view 
not  only  of  Israel  but  of  the  whole  world.  The  hap¬ 
penings  crowd  together,  though  there  may  be  cen¬ 
turies  between  them.  The  form  of  speech  is  beauti¬ 
ful  and  lofty,  and  the  thoughts  are  clear,  often  ex¬ 
pressed  in  magnificent  pictures. 

The  period  that  follows  Isaiah  expresses  its  mes¬ 
sage  in  a  simple  form  and  many  symbols.  The  time 


I 


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133 


of  fulfillment  is  at  hand  and  the  prophetic  thoughts 
are  garbed  in  visions. 

The  Hebrew  order  of  the  later  prophets  is  differ¬ 
ent  from  the  arrangement  in  the  English  Bible. 
Chronologically  they  appear  thus:  Obadiah,  Joel, 
Jonah,  Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  Micah,  Nahum,  Habak- 
kuk,  Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Haggai,  Zechar- 
iah,  Malachi.  The  book  of  Daniel  is  not  counted 
among  the  prophetical  books  in  the  Hebrew  Canon, 
but  occupies  a  position  before  Chronicles. 

With  Malachi  Old  Testament  prophetism  passed 
away.  The  nation  recognized  that  its  spirit  had  dis¬ 
appeared.  In  its  stead,  diligent  study  of  the  law 
and  the  writings  of  the  prophets  became  the  chief 
sources  of  instruction  and  consolation.  But  with  it 
there  was  a  deep  longing  for  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  who  should  bring  spiritual  and  national 
deliverance. 

Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Daniel  are  called  the 
major  prophets  on  account  of  their  pre-eminence  and 
power,  and  the  other  twelve  the  minor  prophets. 


XXIII 

ISAIAH 


Title 

The  name  of  this  great  prophet  was  originally 
Yesha-yahu,  Jehovah  is  Salvation.  We  have  no  means 
of  knowing  whether  Isaiah  collected  his  prophecies 
himself  into  one  volume  or  whether  the  collection  is 
the  work  of  others.  The  existing  title,  however, 
cannot  be  questioned  as  designed  for  the  entire 
work. 

In  regard  to  his  family  he  tells  us  repeatedly  that 
he  is  the  Son  of  Amos.  He  began  his  work  when 
conditions  did  not  differ  much  in  Judah  from  those 
in  Israel,  times  of  material  prosperity  accompanied 
by  social,  moral  and  religious  evils.  Isaiah  dates  his 
call  “in  the  year  that  king  Uzziah  died,”  which  was 
about  740  B.  C.,  and  he  was  still  active  at  the  time 
when  Sennacherib  invaded  Palestine  701  B.  C.  The 
prophet  came  forward  prominently  during  the  reigns 
of  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz  and  Hezekiah,  possibly  he 
was  also  for  some  years  a  contemporary  of  Man- 
asseh,  Hezekiah ’s  son.  According  to  tradition,  which 
seems  to  be  confirmed  by  Hebr.  11,37,  Isaiah  suffered 
the  martyr’s  death,  being  sawn  asunder  during  the 
reign  of  Manasseh.  The  book  is  not  chronologically 
arranged,  due  to  the  influence  of  the  outstanding  his¬ 
toric  events. 

Authorship 

The  author’s  temper  is  one  of  great  boldness  and 
earnestness.  But  amid  the  desolation  of  Israel  and 
the  judgment  foretold  on  Judah  his  bright  visions 
of  future  glory  must  have  steadied  and  cheered 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


135 


many  a  failing  heart.  The  Messiah  is  sure  to  come, 
humiliated  and  suffering  at  first,  but  in  the  final  out¬ 
come  is  filled  with  glory ;  the  Jews  are  finally  con¬ 
verted  and  their  enemies  destroyed. 

The  largely  different  vocabulary  and  the  alto¬ 
gether  different  tone  as  contrasted  with  the 
mighty  stern  rebukes  (1-39),  presupposing  different 
times  and  surroundings,  has  led  many  scholars  to 
the  assumption  that  40-66  are  written  by  another 
great  unknown  prophet  of  the  exile,  who  is  called 
Deutero-Isaiah,  a  second  Isaiah.  But  there  are 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  theory.  If  the  author 
of  the  second  part  were  a  Deutero-Isaiah,  he  would 
have  lived  in  Babylon.  How  could  he  there  have 
given  such  local  coloring,  such  allusions  to  the  scen¬ 
eries  and  objects,  such  expression  of  ease  and  famil¬ 
iarity  with  the  peaceful  scenes  of  Palestine,  the 
glory  of  Lebanon,  the  flocks  of  Sharon,  the  sea  and 
the  islands  and  the  ships  of  Tarshish,  how  could  he 
observe  the  day  of  atonement,  or  the  captive  Jews, 
how  could  they  oppress  their  fellowmen? 

And  the  greatest  difficulty  of  all,  was  it  possible 
that  the  name  of  such  a  great  prophet  should  have 
remained  unknown? 

Until  more  convincing  evidence  against  the 
authorship  of  Isaiah  of  the  whole  is  forthcoming, 
sound  scholarship  must  at  least  be  cautious  in  the 
assertion  of  a  Deutero-Isaiah.  Josephus,  a  man  of 
considerable  research,  unhesitatingly  ascribes  to 
Isaiah  the  whole  composition  and  there  was  no 
Jewish  tradition  which  claimed  that  this  book  had 
come  forth  from  the  hands  of  various  authors.  But 
granted  that  there  was  a  Deutero  who  had  written 


136 


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this  part  assigned  to  him  the  high  value  of  the  book 
as  a  source  of  God’s  revelation  and  its  canonical 
worth  are  not  in  the  least  affected  thereby. 

Contents 

The  prophet  expresses  his  mission  in  a  lofty,  ma¬ 
jestic  calmness,  a  grandeur  and  dignity  transcending 
all  other  prophets.  In  him  we  see  prophetic  author¬ 
ship  reaching  its  culminating  point.  Wonderful 
treasures  of  poetic  expression  blossom  forth  into 
magnificent  pictures.  Even  the  most  common  occur¬ 
rences  are  beautified  by  his  magic  touch.  The  style 
is  plain,  the  thought  noble,  the  language  fascinating, 
flowing  by  like  a  rugged  mountain  stream  in  the 
first  part  and  in  the  second  part  like  the  pleasing 
silvery  river  winding  through  fruitful  plains  and 
beautiful  scenery.  The  first  part  consists  of  a  var¬ 
iety  of  writings  reproving  the  idolatry  and  sins  of 
the  nation,  announcing  also  the  destruction  of  the 
neighboring  states,  Assyria,  Babylon,  Moab,  Egypt, 
Fhilistia,  Syria,  Edom,  and  Tyre.  Sennacherib’s  in¬ 
vasion  and  the  destruction  of  his  army  and  the  ill¬ 
ness  and  recovery  of  Hezekiah  are  described  and 
many  allusions  to  the  Messiah  are  made. 

The  second  part  deals  chiefly  with  distant  events. 
Cyrus  becomes  the  deliverer  of  the  Jews  who  return 
to  Palestine.  The  person  of  the  Messiah  is  described 
more  fully,  the  downfall  of  idolatry  and  the  call  to 
the  Gentile  world  are  foreseen.  But  again,  the  Jews 
are  wficked,  they  reject  the  Messiah  and  are  there¬ 
fore  rejected  by  God.  However,  the  future  brings 
their  ultimate  conversion  and  the  triumph  of  the 
church. 

Division.  I  1-39.  Chapt.  1.  A  General  Introduction. 


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137 


2-5.  Denunciations  of  the  various  sins  of  God’s 
people. 

6.  Isaiah’s  call  and  vision. 

7-10.  Series  of  prophecies,  largely  Messianic. 

11-23.  Denunciations  of  different  nations. 

24-35.  Judgment  of  the  world  and  the  kingdom 
of  Messiah  is  promised. 

36-39.  Historical  pictures. 

II.  40-66. 

40-48.  Redemption  of  Israel  is  certain. 

49-62.  The  servant  of  the  Lord  brings  perfection 
of  salvation. 

63-66.  Appendix. 

Chapt.  1.  Judah  has  forsaken  the  Lord.  With  a 
plaintive  voice  the  prophet  tries  to  call  the  nation  to 
repentance.  “An  ox  knoweth  his  owner,  etc.’’ 

2-4.  Zion  becomes  the  centre  of  the  world,  and  the 
Messianic  kingdom  is  foreseen. 

5.  Israel  is  the  vineyard  of  God. 

6.  The  Lord,  thrice  holy,  calls  Isaiah  and  purifies 
his  lips  for  service. 

7-12.  The  prophet  assures  victory  in  the  threat¬ 
ening  Syro-Ephraimitic  war.  The  sign  of  a  virgin 
who  shall  bear  a  son  is  given.  His  name  shall  be 
Immanuel,  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God, 
Everlasting  Father,  Prince  of  Peace.  Before  the 
child  has  reached  the  years  of  discretion,  both  Syria 
and  Ephraim  will  have  been  made  harmless  by  As¬ 
syria.  The  same  message  of  assurance  is  conveyed 
by  another  child  with  the  symbolic  name  Maher- 
shalal-hash-baz,  that  is,  Hasty-booty-speedy-spoil. 

It  is  made  plain  that  the  Assyrian  invasion  will 
bring  much  suffering,  but  a  hopeful  outlook  pre- 


138 


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vails,  for  the  rule  of  the  Ideal  King  is  near  (13-23). 
The  destruction  of  Babylon,  Assyria,  Moab,  Ethiopia, 
Egypt,  Edom,  and  Tyre  is  announced  (24-27).  The 
full  judgment  of  the  world  powers,  however,  this  is 
Judah’s  time  of  salvation.  Chapter  26  is  highly  im¬ 
portant,  because  it  describes  a  personal  resur¬ 
rection. 

28-33.  Israel  will  finally  come  to  life  again.  The 
trials  and  deliverance  are  symbolical  of  final  help. 
Sennacherib’s  attack  and  God’s  deliverance  are  pro¬ 
phetical  of  the  Babylonian  captivity  which  is  soon 
to  come. 

34-39.  Jerusalem  is  besieged,  Hezekiah  is  smitten 
with  sickness,  but  healed  by  prayer.  Sennacherib  is 
slain  at  Nineveh  by  his  own  sons.  Hezekiah ’s  sin  in 
showing  the  messengers  of  Babylon  the  treasures, 
indicates  that  the  punishment  will  come  from 
Babylon,  which  country  shall  accomplish  what  As¬ 
syria  could  not. 

40.  The  nation  is  comforted.  “Comfort  ye,  com¬ 
fort  ye  my  people,”  etc. 

41.  God  expostulates  his  mercies. 

42.  The  servant  of  Jehovah  is  described. 

43.  The  destruction  of  Babylon  is  promised  and 
the  people  will  be  delivered. 

44.  The  Lord  further  promises  his  blessings  for 
Zion. 

45.  Cyrus  (Kores),  is  called  by  God  for  the  de¬ 
liverance  of  Israel. 

46-48.  Powerful  Babel  will  be  humiliated,  stub¬ 
born  Israel  must  finally  be  obedient,  and  with  joyous 
hearts  return  from  Babel. 

49-62.  The  servant  of  the  Lord  appears  and  he 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


139 


shall  bring  the  tribes  of  Israel  back  to  God.  Not 
only  the  tribes  of  Israel,  but  also  the  Gentile  world 
shall  be  called.  He  must  pass  through  deep  humilia¬ 
tion,  however.  Finally  he  is  exalted,  and  announces 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  The  glory  of  Zion 
will  be  great  and  the  people  shall  rejoice  in  their 
Lord. 

63-66.  The  victory  over  the  enemies  is  sure.  God’s 
power  is  revealed  to  the  church.  The  Lord  appears 
and  saves  his  people  who  will  serve  him  in  humble 
sincerity.  The  Gentiles  also  will  have  a  glorious 
church.  Isaiah  has  a  wonderful  grasp  of  truth.  God 
is  exalted  as  the  incomparable  Maker  of  heaven  and 
earth.  His  plan  in  the  world  carries  out  and  he  fore¬ 
sees  the  future.  Man,  sinful,  neglects  him,  but 
through  his  servant,  the  Redeemer,  who  is  of  great 
love  and  tenderness,  man  is  brought  back  into  the 
original  relationship  of  communion  with  God.  This 
prophet  has  rightly  been  called  the  bringer  of  glad 
tidings,  that  is  the  Gospel  in  the  Old  Testament. 

The  most  important  references  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  are: 

Chapt  1,9.  Rom.  9,29.  Except  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth 
had  left  us  a  seed,  etc. 

6,3.  Rev.  4,8.  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  etc. 

7.14.  Matthew  1,23.  Behold  a  virgin  shall  con¬ 
ceive,  etc. 

8.14.  Luke  2,34;  Rom.  9,32;  1  Peter  2,8.  The  stone 
of  offence,  etc. 

8,18.  Hebr.  2,13.  Behold  here  I  am  and  the  chil¬ 
dren,  etc. 

9,1.  Matth.  4,16.  The  people  that  sat  in  darkness 
have  seen,  etc. 


140 


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9,6.  Luke  1  and  2.  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born, 
unto  us  a  son  is  given,  etc. 

10.22.  Rom.  9,27.  Though  thy  number  be  as  the 
sand,  etc. 

11,1-10.  Rom.  15,12.  The  rod  of  Jesse,  etc. 

21.9.  Rev.  14,8.  She  is  fallen,  she  is  fallen,  Baby¬ 
lon,  etc. 

22,18.  1  Cor.  15,32.  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  etc. 

22.22.  Rev.  3,7.  The  keys  of  David,  etc. 

28.11.  1  Cor.  14,21.  And  yet  for  all  that  will 
hear  and  hear  me  not,  etc. 

29.13.  Matth.  15,8.  This  people  draws  to  me  with 
their  mouth,  etc. 

35.5.  Matth.  11,5.  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall 
oe  opened,  etc. 

40.3.  Matth.  3,3 ;  John  1,23.  A  voice  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness,  etc. 

40.6.  1  Peter  1,24.  All  flesh  is  as  grass,  etc. 

40.8.  1  Peter  1,25.  The  word  of  the  Lord  endur- 
eth  forever,  etc. 

40.11.  John  10,11.  The  good  shepherd. 

40.13.  Rom.  11,34.  Who  has  been  his  counsellor? 

41.4.  Rev.  1,17.  The  first  and  the  last,  etc. 

42,1.  Matth.  12,17.  Behold  my  servant,  etc. 

44,3-5.  John  7,38.  Streams  of  living  waters. 

45.23.  Rom.  14,11 ;  Phil.  2,10.  Every  knee  shall 
bow,  etc. 

49.6.  Acts  13,47.  The  light  of  the  Gentiles. 

49.8.  2  Cor.  6,2.  The  acceptable  time,  etc. 

49.10.  Rev.  7,16.  They  shall  neither  hunger  nor 
thirst,  etc. 

52.5.  Rom.  2,24.  On  your  account  the  name  of 
God  is  blasphemed,  etc. 


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141 


52.7.  Rom.  10,15.  How  beautiful  on  the  mountains 
are  the  feet,  etc. 

52,15.  Rom.  15,21.  To  whom  is  nothing  announc¬ 
ed,  etc. 

53.1.  John  12,38;  Rom.  10,16.  But  who  believes 
our  report,  etc. 

53.4.  Matth.  8,17.  He  carried  our  sorrows,  etc. 

53.5.  1  Peter  2,24.  By  his  stripes  are  we  healed. 

53.7.  Acts  8,32.  As  a  lamb  led  to  the  slaughter,  etc. 

53.8.  1  Cor.  15,3.  Death  and  burial  of  Christ. 

53.9.  1  Peter  2,22.  Who  had  no  sin,  etc. 

53.12.  Luke  22,37.  He  is  counted  among  the  trans¬ 
gressors,  etc. 

54.1.  Gal.  4,27.  Rejoice,  0  ye  barren,  etc. 

54.13.  John  6,45.  They  shall  all  be  taught  by  God. 

55.3.  Acts  13,34.  The  covenant  of  David. 

56,7.  Matth.  21,32.  My  house  shall  be  called  a 
house  of  prayer. 

59,20.  Rom.  11,26.  The  Redeemer  comes  out  of 
Zion. 

60,19.  Rev.  21,23.  The  city  which  needs  no  sun 
nor  moon. 

61.1.  Luke  4,18.  Christ’s  text  for  his  sermon  at 
Nazareth. 

64.4.  1  Cor.  2,9.  What  no  eye  has  seen,  etc. 

65,17.  2  Peter  3,13.  A  new  heaven  and  a  new 

earth. 

66.1.  Acts  7,49.  The  heaven  is  my  throne  and  the 
earth  my,  etc. 


XXIV 


JEREMIAH 


Title 

“The  words  of  Jeremiah  (the  Lord  casts  away), 
the  son  of  Hilkiah,  of  the  priests  that  were  in  Ana- 
thoth.”  It  is  with  these  words  that  the  prophet  in¬ 
troduces  himself.  Jeremiah  began  his  work  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  Josiah.  Youthful,  devoted,  gra¬ 
cious,  but  timid,  he  proved  a  delightful  friend  and 
helper  to  the  king,  whose  most  trusted  counsellor  he 
was  till  the  king  fell  in  the  battle  with  Pharaoh- 
Necho  at  Megiddo.  But  the  greatest  danger  accord¬ 
ing  to  Jeremiah  lurked  in  the  north.  Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar  triumphed  over  Egypt  in  the  battle  of  Carch- 
emish  and  from  that  moment  the  prophet  seemed 
to  realize  that  Babylon  will  become  the  place  of  the 
seventy  years’  captivity  destined  for  Judah.  Jehoa- 
haz  was  soon  taken  captive  to  Egypt  and  Jehoiakim 
became  king.  In  the  face  of  personal  dangers  the 
prophet  continued  his  mission  as  the  watchman  of 
the  nation.  Persecuted  by  the  king,  disliked  by  the 
wicked  of  the  people,  the  natives  of  his  own  city 
conspiring  to  kill  him,  almost  single  handed  for  a 
long  time  the  gentle  Jeremiah,  but  who  was  strong 
in  the  Lord,  stood  for  the  principles  of  righteous¬ 
ness  against  the  fury  of  the  kings,  princes  and 
priests  of  Jerusalem.  Jehoiakim ’s  place  was  taken 
by  Jehoiachin,  his  place  in  turn  by  Zedekiah.  But 
then  came  the  great  Babylonian  and  took  the  city 
and  in  accordance  with  the  word  of  Jeremiah  ut¬ 
terly  destroyed  it.  Among  those  who  were  per¬ 
mitted  to  remain  in  Judah  was  Jeremiah.  Gedaliah 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


143 


was  appointed  governor  of  a  remnant  of  the  poor 
who  were  left  in  the  land.  But  he  was  murdered  and 
the  remainder  fearing  the  vengeance  of  the  Baby¬ 
lonian  king  fled  into  Egypt,  Jeremiah  accompanying 
them  where,  according  to  tradition,  he  died  the 
martyr’s  death. 

Authorship 

The  book  was  probably  edited  and  brought  into 
the  present  form  by  Jeremiah,  although  it  contains 
passages  which  are  reputed  not  to  have  been  writ¬ 
ten  by  him.  (Chapt.  10,3;  50,51;  the  whole  of  52). 

Contents 

The  various  prophecies  are  not  arranged  in  chron¬ 
ological  order ;  some,  however,  think  in  order  of  the 
plaintiveness  of  their  tone.  No  prophet  reveals  to  us 
the  innermost  parts  of  his  soul  as  much  as  Jeremiah. 
Belonging  to  the  priestly  as  well  as  the  prophetic 
order  he  was  compelled  to  carry  on  a  battle  against 
both.  He  is  entitled  to  be  among  the  greater  pro¬ 
phets  for  both  his  personal  character’s  sake  and  for 
the  advance  he  gave  to  the  religious  life  of  his  nation 
Laying  aside  all  unnecessary  ornament  of  speech  in 
the  simplest  form  he  expresses  the  painful  imagery 
which  interprets  his  thoughts.  In  a  long  unwearied 
life  for  forty  years,  with  patience  and  tenderness, 
by  precept  and  example,  sometimes  in  words  of  in¬ 
dignation  he  did  the  bidding  of  his  master.  The 
most  bitter  opposition  from  powerful  and  influential 
sources  was  unable  to  silence  the  voice  of  the  Lord’s 
messenger  in  Israel. 

Division 

1.  The  call. 


144 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


2-35.  Denunciations  against  Judah. 

36-45.  History  regarding  the  destruction  of  Je¬ 
rusalem. 

46-51.  Prophecies  against  the  enemies  of  the  Jews. 

52.  Historical  Appendix. 

Chapt.  1.  The  prophet  is  called. 

2-6.  The  sins  of  the  people  and  the  approaching 
punishment  is  described.  The  northern  kingdom 
has  forsaken  the  Lord  and  the  southern  sister  has 
done  likewise.  The  great  danger  threatens  from 
the  north.  In  these  troublesome  times  false  prophets 
arise  “who  cry  peace,  peace,  when  there  is  no 
peace.” 

7-10.  The  temple  service  has  become  an  abomina¬ 
tion.  The  temple  shall  be  destroyed ;  only  through 
repentance  can  the  impending  disaster  be  avoided. 
God  will  requite  Israel  according  to  the  deeds  done. 

11-13.  The  prophet  disregards  the  boast  of  formal 
religion. 

14-17.  God  is  Israel’s  enemy  and  accepts  no  intei- 
cession.  The  doom  cannot  now  be  averted.  But  de¬ 
spite  all  this  the  Lord  is  still  the  hope  of  Israel. 

18-20.  Allegories  of  the  potter  and  the  clay. 

21-23.  The  leaders  of  the  nation  are  corrupt,  but 
once  the  time  will  come  when  a  seed  from  the  house 
of  David  shall  rule  the  nation  wisely. 

24.  The  vision  of  the  two  baskets  with  figs  is 
described. 

25.  The  seventy  years’  captivity  in  Babylon  is 
announced. 

26-29.  Jeremiah  and  the  false  prophets.  On  ac¬ 
count  of  his  addresses  in  the  temple  he  is  condemned 
to  death.  But  the  prophet  defends  himself  by  an- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


145 


nouncing  that  the  Lord  had  commanded  him  to  do 
as  he  did.  A  yoke  is  placed  about  his  neck  and  he 
is  forced  to  prophesy  in  the  presence  of  foreign 
ambassadors. 

30-33.  Jeremiah  writes  all  prophecies  in  a  book. 

34.  The  destruction  of  the  capital  is  announced. 

35-36.  God  blesses  the  Rechabites  for  their  obedi¬ 
ence.  Jeremiah  causes  Baruch  to  write  and  read 
publicly  his  prophecies. 

37-39.  The  city  is  besieged.  At  its  fall  the  prophet 
receives  his  liberty. 

40-44.  Jeremiah  after  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem. 

45.  Consolation  is  given  Baruch. 

46-51.  The  enemy  nations  shall  receive  their 
judgment. 

52.  The  holy  city  is  destroyed. 

References  in  the  New  Testament: 

Chapt.  6.16.  Matth.  11,29.  Ye  shall  find  rest  unto 
your  souls. 

7,11.  Matth.  21,13.  My  house  a  house  of  prayer. 

9,24.  1  Cor.  1,31.  He  that  glorieth  let  him  glory 
in  the  Lord. 

31,15.  Matth.  2,18.  Rachel  wept,  etc. 

31,31.  ITebr.  10,16.  The  new  covenant. 


XXV.  LAMENTATIONS 


Title 

The  Hebrew  name  Kinah,  Lamentations,  is  applied 
to  the  five  elegies,  placed  in  the  Hebrew  Canon  in 
the  Chetubim  between  Ruth  and  Ecclesiastes. 

Authorship.  Jeremiah  is  commonly  considered 
the  author  of  this  little  book,  because  unbroken  tra¬ 
dition  has  always  ascribed  it  to  him. 

Contents 

The  common  theme  of  these  elegies  is  the  terrible 
fate  which  befell  Jerusalem  and  its  inhabitants.  It 
has  for  ages  been  the  custom  to  read  the  Lamenta¬ 
tions  in  the  synagogues  on  the  ninth  day  of  Ab,  the 
anniversary  of  the  burning  of  the  temple.  The  first 
four  chapters  are  constructed  alphabetically,  every 
verse  or  half  verse  or  group  of  verses  begins  with 
one  of  the  twenty-two  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

Chapt.  1.  Attention  is  directed  to  the  sorrow-laden 
widowed  city,  Zion.  With  a  pathetic  tenderness  the 
siege  and  its  accompanying  woes  are  described,  in 
a  plaintive  manner. 

2.  The  sanctuary  is  burned  and  the  altars  of  the 
Lord  are  given  up  to  the  enemy,  the  holy  tabernacle 
is  taken  by  violence. 

3.  But  though  chastised,  the  faithful  nourish  hope 
in  God’s  ultimate  favor. 

4.  Zion  bewailing  her  pitiful  estate  confesses  her 
sins  and  is  comforted,  while  Edom  is  threatened. 

5.  A  prayer  is  uttered  that  the  Lord  might  soon 
bring  back  the  captives.  The  137th  Psalm  is  a  fit 
parallel  to  Lamentations  with  practically  the  same 
content. 


XXVI 


EZEKIEL 


Title 

The  only  information  available  on  the  prophet 
Ezekiel  is  supplied  from  his  own  writing.  Whether 
the  name  Ezekiel  was  conferred  upon  him  by  his 
parents  or  whether  he  later  assumed  this  title  on 
commencing  his  vocation  cannot  be  determined.  The 
form  of  the  name  is  practically  the  same  in  the 
Hebrew,  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Vulgata  meaning 
in  the  original  “whom  God  will  strengthen.” 

Characteristics 

As  the  son  of  Buzi  he  was  of  priestly  descent,  and 
probably  for  a  time  he  himself  filled  the  office  of 
priest  at  the  temple,  for  he  exhibits  a  remarkable 
knowledge  of  all  the  details  in  the  appointments  of 
the  sanctuary.  Having  been  an  eye  witness  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Holy  City  he  was  led  into  captiv¬ 
ity  with  Jehoiachin  about  597,  where  he  dwelt  in 
a  house  at  Tell-Ahib1  close  to  the  river  Chebar,  his 
abode  becoming  a  religious  centre  for  the  exiles. 
Although  in  a  foreign  land,  they  were  allowed  con¬ 
siderable  freedom  and  constituted  a  community,  in 
which  their  own  government  by  elders  continued  to 
exist.  Some  there  were  indeed  who  recognized  in  their 
banishment  from  their  native  country,  the  judgment 
of  heaven  upon  an  apostate  people  who  mourned 
over  the  declension  of  their  state  and  who,  as 

^Tell-Ahib  is  located  by  tradition  south  of  Babylon  at  a 
place  called  Kesi,  where  at  the  present  day  the  prophet’s 
grave  is  pointed  out,  the  tombs  of  Jonah  and  Nahum  are 
also  said  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Nineveh. 


148 


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by  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  they  sat  down  and  wept, 
remembering  Zion,  longed  for  the  restoration  of 
their  sacred  precincts.  But  others  there  were  who 
had  carried  with  them  their  old  habits  of  idol  wor¬ 
ship  and  showed  as  little  disposition  to  abate  their 
devotion  to  heathenism  as  their  fathers  had  done. 
Ezekiel’s  mission  at  first  was  to  proclaim  the  near¬ 
ness  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  to  expose 
the  apostasy  and  corruption  of  the  nation.  But  later 
when  judgment  had  come  he  gave  himself,  as  a  true 
shepherd,  to  the  task  of  encouraging  and  helping  his 
people,  promising  complete  restoration. 

The  plan  of  restoration  finds  expression  in  many 
graphic  visions,  including  a  most  elaborate  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  new  sanctuary.  Of  broad  culture  he  was 
able  to  assimilate  the  good  elements  of  his  foreign 
environment,  using  them  in  the  service  for  his  Lord. 
His  Messianic  expectations  take  the  form  of  the 
restoration  of  Israel  under  a  theocratic  government, 
the  centre  of  which  is  not  the  royal  palace,  but  the 
temple.  His  discourses  do  not  breathe  the  deep  sor¬ 
row  of  a  Jeremiah,  but  are  rather  of  stern  form,  ap¬ 
propriate  for  the  rebellious  house  which  expression 
he  employs  about  seventeen  times.  Son  of  man, 
idols,  mountains  of  Israel,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
upon  me,  I,  the  Lord  have  spoken,  and  others  are 
frequent  expressions  used.  The  sublimity  of  Je¬ 
hovah,  the  majesty  of  the  God,  is  the  thought  that 
runs  like  a  red  thread  through  all  his  discourses. 
The  language  is  that  of  the  later  period,  and  in  it 
the  seer  conveys  a  wealth  of  visions,  many  sym¬ 
bolical  figures,  and  constant  progressive  action.  He 
lives  and  breathes  almost  literally  in  the  Law  of 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


149 


Moses.  The  desecration  of  the  temple  is  to  him  the 
greatest  crime.  His  Cherubim,  the  streams  of  life, 
the  city  of  God  find  an  echo  in  the  Revelation  of 
St.  John. 

Authorship 

The  genuineness  of  Ezekiel  has  never  been  ser¬ 
iously  challenged,  and  it  is  evident  that  the  book  is 
the  compilation  of  the  great  prophet  himself. 

Contents 

The  prophet  announces  the  coming  judgment  over 
the  rebellious  house  of  Israel  and  feels  his  responsi¬ 
bility  to  act  as  a  watchman,  warning  the  people  to 
repent.  But  finally,  when  the  consequences  of  their 
acts  become  evident,  Israel,  like  the  dried  up  bones, 
is  to  be  restored  to  life  and  Edom  particularly  will 
suffer  for  its  wickedness. 

The  destruction  of  Egypt  is  also  foreseen,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  its  treacherous  conduct  toward  Israel.  Tyre 
is  likewise  doomed  to  its  fate.  But  his  sun  goes 
down  pouring  both  on  Jew  and  Gentile  the  golden 
lustre  of  Messiah’s  reign. 

Division 

1-24.  The  complete  overthrow  of  Judah. 

25-32.  The  overthrow  of  the  nations  which  re¬ 
joiced  in  her  fall. 

33-39.  Warnings  and  promises  to  the  Jews. 

40-48.  The  ideal  temple. 

Chapt.  1-3.  Ezekiel  called  to  the  prophetic  office, 
has  a  vision  of  four  cherubim,  receives  the  commis¬ 
sion  from  God,  who  encourages  him. 

4-7.  By  symbolic  action  he  shows  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem,  its  destruction  and  the  miserable  cap¬ 
tivity  of  the  inhabitants. 


150 


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8-12.  Jerusalem’s  corruption  is  shown  by  the 
chambers  of  imagery ;  coals  of  fire  are  scattered  over 
the  city.  But  a  new  heart  is  given,  a  heart  of  flesh. 
Zedekiah’s  captivity  is  shown. 

13-14.  False  prophets  and  prophetesses  are  de¬ 
nounced,  the  judgment  of  Jehovah  is  inevitable. 

15-17.  The  city,  through  its  abominations,  is  ripe 
for  destruction.  The  allegory  of  the  two  eagles  and 
the  vine  indicate  the  house  of  Judah. 

18.  God  reproves  the  unjust  in  the  parable  of  the 
sour  grapes. 

19-22.  A  lamentation  and  rebuke.  Israel’s  rebel¬ 
lion  is  told.  The  sword  is  against  Jerusalem.  Baby¬ 
lon  and  Ammon  too  shall  be  punished.  The  sins  of 
the  city  are  eunmerated. 

23.  Israel  and  Judah  are  represented  by  two 
harlots. 

24.  The  symbol  of  the  boiling  pot  represents  the 
capital’s  destruction;  the  prophet  is  not  allowed  to 
mourn  for  his  dead  wife. 

25-32.  The  prophecies  against  foreign  nations  are 
uttered.  These  nations  are :  the  Ammonites,  Moab¬ 
ites,  Edomites,  Philistines,  Tyre,  Sidon,  Egypt. 

33-39.  Ezekiel’s  commission  is  renewed.  The 
shepherds  of  Israel  are  reproved.  Another  prophecy 
against  Edom  is  given.  The  mountains  of  Israel  are 
comforted.  The  vision  of  the  dry  bones  represents 
a  revived  Israel.  Prophecies  against  God  and 
Magog  are  uttered. 

40-48.  Visions  of  future  restoration  are  recorded, 
visions  of  the  temple,  the  priests,  the  worship,  and 
the  land.  New  life  streams  forth  from  the  tempter. 


XXVII 


DANIEL 


Title 

The  book  relates  the  experiences  and  visions  of 
Daniel,  a  Jewish  exile,  at  the  court  of  Babylon. 
Daniel  is  mentioned  by  his  contemporary,  Ezekiel, 
in  company  with  Noah  and  Job,  as  one  whose  right¬ 
eousness  might  be  pleaded  in  behalf  of  the  Jews  and 
as  one  whose  wisdom  was  notable.  Ezekiel  14,14-20 
and  28,3.  Of  princely  lineage  he  was  carried  into 
captivity  during  the  first  attack  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
whose  dreams  he  subsequently  interpreted,  rising 
to  high  office  in  the  state,  which  he  filled  with  much 
wisdom  and  success. 

Authorship 

The  consensus  of  opinion  among  critics  seems 
to  be  that  Daniel  as  it  lies  before  us  is  a  produc¬ 
tion  of  the  Maccabean  age,  such  arguments  being- 
based  on  linguistic  and  historical  difficulties.  But 
the  monumental  evidence  tends  to  cause  those  diffi¬ 
culties  to  disappear.  As  to  the  linguistic  difficulties 
it  may  be  noted  that  Greek  words  found  their  way 
into  the  Hebrew  language  long  before  the  Alexan- 
drinian  age,  yes  even  before  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.1 
And  there  is  nothing  strange  about  the  interming¬ 
ling  of  Persian  words  into  a  writing  produced  in 
Persian  surroundings.  Belshazzar’s  historicity2  on 

fiDrr,  Problem  of  the  O.  T.  p.  429. 

2The  historical  outlook  of  this  period  is  as  follows  As¬ 
syria  was  driven  to  destruction  606  B.  C.  Isaiah,  Zephan- 
iah  and  Nahum  give  a  vivid  description  of  her  downfall 
from  the  viewpoint  of  Israel.  A  new  Babylonian  state  arose 
upon  the  ruins  of  Assyria.  Nabopolassar,  an  appointee  of 


152 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


the  strength  of  Greek  historians  has  been  questioned. 
Through  the  decipherment  of  the  Cuneiform  inscrip¬ 
tion  both  Babylonian  and  Persian,  its  has  been 
proved  that  the  Greek  writers  committed  grave 
errors  as  to  the  history  of  Cyrus.1  This  would  in- 


tlie  Assyrian  king  to  the  vice-regal  governorship  of  Baby¬ 
lon  in  league  with  Cyaxares  of  Media  destroyed  Nineveh. 
Nebuchadnezzar,  Nabopolassar’s  son,  defeated  Egypt  at 
(Jarchemish  and  incidentally  Judah  also  received  his  atten¬ 
tions.  Nebuchadnezzar  having  made  a  commercial  treaty 
with  the  kings  of  Media  and  Lydia  made  Babylon  the  com¬ 
mercial  and  religious  centre  of  the  world  during  a  reign 
of  43  years.  The  heritage  of  the  empire  fell  upon  his  son 
Evil-Merodach  (man  of  Merodach)  who  was  slain  by  his 
brother-in-law  after  two  years.  Nergalsharezer,  the  slayer, 
ruled  four  years  successfully  when  he  died  555  B.  C., 
leaving  the  throne  to  his  young  son,  Labash-Merodach. 
Nabunaid  in  his  stele  tells  us  that  “his  young  son  incap¬ 
able  of  ruling  against  the  will  of  the  gods  sat  on  the  royal 
throne”  and  within  nine  months  the  child-king  was 
murdered. 

Nabunaid  then  claims  that  the  god  Merodach  entrusted 
the  kingdom  to  him.  A  large  amount  of  literature  left 
by  this  king,  tells  of  his  building  activities  and  commer¬ 
cial  relations.  (Annals  of  Nabunaid,  and  Clay  tablets  of 
Nabunaid).  In  Media,  Astyages  had  succeeded  Cyaxares, 
who  in  turn  had  been  conquered  by  Cyrus  the  Great,  the 
Achaemenidan,  king  of  Anshan  in  Persia.  A  war  broke 
out  between  Cyrus  who  had  now  become  king  of  Persia 
and  Media  and  Babylonia.  Babylon  was  entered  by  the 
Medo-Persians  and  Cyrus  thus  became  also  king  of  Baby¬ 
lonia.  The  account  of  the  feast  found  in  Daniel  5  belongs 
in  the  last  days  of  the  empire.  Belshazzar  is  called  king 
in  the  Biblical  record  while  the  inscriptions  do  not  ex¬ 
pressly  use  this  term,  but  indicate  that  he  was  in  command 
of  a  Babylonian  army,  reference  being  made  to  him  as  the 
king’s  son  at  several  places.  Cyrus  is  followed  by  Cam- 
byses,  529  B.  C.,  and  Cambyses  in  turn  by  Darius  I,  521  B.  C. 
The  successors  of  Darius  are,  Xerxes  I,  486  B.  C.,  Arta- 
xerxes  I,  564  B.  C.,  Xerxes  II,  424  B.  C.,  Darius  II,  424 
B.  C,.  Artaxerxes  II,  405  B.  C.,  Artaxerxes  III,  (Ochus)  359 
B.  C.,  Arses,  338  B.  C.,  Darius  III,  336  B.  C.  Confer,  Ahl, 
Outline  of  Persian  History  Based  on  the  Cuneiform  In¬ 
scriptions. 

iThe  mythical  narration  of  Herodotus,  according  to 
which  Cyrus  was  the  grandson  of  Astyages,  a  Mede,  are 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


153 


dicate  that  they  are  not  always  reliable,  and  their 
silence  in  regard  to  Belshazzar  cannot  under  such 
circumstances  be  proof  for  his  non-existence.  The 
Cuneiform  inscriptions  further  have  revealed  that 
the  last  king  of  Babylon,  Nabonidus,  had  a  son  who 
bore  the  name  Belu-Sharra-Ushur1  (Belshazzar),  and 
this,  the  king’s  son,  was  in  command  of  a  Baby¬ 
lonian  army.2  The  belief  is  growing  that  the  Go- 
bryas  of  the  inscriptions  who  was  made  governor 
at  Babylon  is  Darius  the  Mede,  who  received  the 
kingdom  according  to  Daniel.3  The  Persian  In- 


refuted  by  the  Cyrus  Cylinder  which  states,  “I  am  Cyrus, 
king  of  the  world,  the  great  king,  the  king  of  Tin-tir,  the 
king  of  the  land  of  Shinar  and  Accad,  the  king  of  the  four 
quarters, the  son  of  Cambyses,  the  great  king,  the  king  of 
the  city  of  Anshan;  the  grandson  of  Cyrus,  the  great  king, 
the  king  of  the  city  of  Anshan;  the  grandson  of  Teispes, 
the  great  king,  the  king  of  Anshan.”  Ball,  Light  from  the 
East,  p.  225.  Confer  also,  Ahl,  Outline  of  Pers.  Hist,  based 
on  Cuneiform  Inscript,  pp.  18  fg. :  also  Tolman  and  Stev- 
onson,  Herodotus  and  the  Empires  of  the  East,  pp.  69  fg. 

f“As  regards  Belu-Sharra-Ushur,  the  eldest  son,  the  is¬ 
sue  of  my  bowels,  implant  in  him  the  fear  of  thy  great 
Godhead.”  Clay  Cylinder  of  Nabunaid  found  at  Mugayyar. 
Ball,  Light  from  the  East,  pp.  207,  208. 

2Annals  of  Nabunaid  Col.  I  Obv.,  Ball,  Light  from  the 
East,  p.  219. 

3“On  the  16th,  Gobryas,  the  governor  of  the  land  of 
Gutium,  and  the  soldiers  of  Cyrus  entered  Babylon,  with¬ 
out  battle.  Later  Nabunaid  was  captured  because  he  tar¬ 
ried  in  Babylon.  To  the  end  of  the  month  the  shield  bear¬ 
ers  of  Gutium  guarded  the  gates  of  Esagila  ....  In  Maches- 
van  by  night,  on  the  11th,  Gobryas  in  .  .  .  and  the  son  of 
the  king  (Belu-Sharra-Ushur,  son  of  Nabunaid).  Light 
on  the  Old  Testament  from  Babel,  A.  T.  Clay,  pp.  374  and 
375.  On  this  Cylinder  the  taking  of  Babylon  without 
battle,  the  slaying  of  Belshazzar,  and  the  succession  to 
rulership  of  Darius  at  Babylon,  if  it  should  be  true  as 
some  assume  that  Gobryas  was  Darius,  even  though  he 
was  only  governor  at  this  time,  agree  perfectly  with  the 
records  of  Daniel.  Daniel  and  the  queen  address  Bel- 


154  .BIBLE  STUDIES 

scriptions'have  corrected  many  historical  errors,  and 
the  traditional  view  of  the  authenticity  and  histor¬ 
ical  value  has  been  greatly  strengthened.  Then 
there  is  also  in  addition  to  these  indisputable  facts, 
the  possibility  of  double  names,  which  was  quite 
customary  in  those  days.  The  reference  in  Daniel  to 
the  times  of  Antiochus  could  hardly  be  considered 
a  serious  stumbling  block  when  the  prophetic  char¬ 
acter  of  the  book  is  taken  into  account.  Isaiah,  or 
any  other  prophet  making  predictions,  would  fall 
into  the  same  category. 

It  is  true  that  the  Jews  usually  did  not  place 
Daniel  among  their  prophets,  but  among  the  Chetu- 
bim,  although  in  the  Alexandrian  Canon  it  was  placed 
among  the  prophetical  books.  The  rabbis  of  the 
fifth  century  A.  D.,  probably  assigned  Daniel  to  the 
Chetubim  because  he  was  not  a  professional  prophet. 
It  will  be  seen  then  from  these  facts  that  a  sweep¬ 
ing  rejection  and  denial  of  the  authenticity  of  this 
book  can  not  stand  the  investigations  of  sound  schol¬ 
arship  in  the  light  of  recent  research  and  indications 
are  that  there  will  be  further  light  in  the  future 
from  the  ancient  records. 

Contents 

Nebuchadnezzar,  the  young  Babylonian  conquer¬ 
or,  selected  from  among,  the  hostages  of  noble  and 
royal  blood,  a  number  of  youths  to  be  educated  to 
become  fit  attendants  at  his  court.  The  king  has  a 

shazzar  with  the  expression,  “Nebuchadnezzar  thy  father,” 
which  in  all  probability  means  nothing  else  than  that 
Belshazzar  was  a  successor  of  the  great  Babylonian  king. 

^Confer:  Prasek,  Geschichte  der  Meder  und  Perser; 
Ahl,  Outline  of  Pers.  History  Based  on  the  Cuneiform  In¬ 
scriptions. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


155 


dream.  No  one  but  Daniel  is  able  to  interpret  it, 
and  he  is  advanced  on  this  account.  Three  of  his 
friends  stand  the  severe  test  of  loyalty  to  God. 
Years  later  under  Belshazzar  he  reads  the  writing  on 
the  wall,  and  again  later  escapes  the  danger  of  the 
lion’s  den  under  Darius.  The  second  part  of  the 
book  consists  of  visions  revealed  to  Daniel. 

Division 

1-6.  History. 

7-12.  Visions. 

Chapt.  1.  Daniel  is  carried  into  captivity  and  to¬ 
gether  with  his  friends  by  self-denial  advances  in 
wisdom  and  power. 

2.  The  king  dreams  of  a  mighty  statue,  which  is 
destroyed  by  a  stone.  Daniel  interprets  it  to  mean 
that  Babylonia,  Media,  Persia  and  Macedonia  shall 
be  destroyed,  but  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  shall 
take  their  places. 

3.  Daniel’s  friends  are  cast  into  the  fiery  furnace, 
but  are  delivered  by  God. 

4.  Nebuchadnezzar  has  another  dream,  and  Daniel 
again  interprets  it. 

5.  Belshazzar’s  impious  feast  and  its  consequence 
is  described. 

6.  Daniel  in  the  lions’  den  is  delivered  by  God. 

7.  The  four  world  powers  are  seen  in  symbols  of 
the  lion  (Babylonia)  ;  bear  (Media)  ;  panther  (Per¬ 
sia)  ;  the  beasts  with  ten  horns  (Graeco-Macedonia). 
One  like  the  son  of  man  comes  with  victory. 

8.  Vision  of  the  mighty  ram  and  goat,  (Medo- 
Persian  and  Alexander’s  kingdom). 

9.  Daniel  prays  for  the  restoration  of  Jerusalem. 

10.  God’s  glory  appears  at  the  river  Hiddekel. 


156 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


11.  The  overthrow  of  Persia  and  the  time  of  Anti- 
ochus  Epiphanes  is  foreseen. 

12.  Michael  shall  deliver  Israel  from  their 
troubles. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Matthew  23-24. 

Mark  13. 

Luke  21. 

1  Thess.  4,5 

2  Thess.  2 


XXVIII 


HOSEA 


Title 

“The  word  of  the  Lord  that  came  unto  Hosea,  the 
son  of  Beeri.”  It  is  with  these  words  that  the  pro¬ 
phet  introduces  himself  and  his  book  to  the  reader, 
the  name  Hosea  meaning  “help.” 

Authorship 

The  authorship  of  Hosea  has  not  often  been 
called  in  question.  According  to  his  own  testi¬ 
mony  he  lived  in  the  days  of  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz 
and  Hezekiah,  kings  of  Judah,  and  in  the 
days  of  Jereboam,  the  son  of  Joash,  king  of 
Israel.  The  author  for  a  few  years  was  the  contem¬ 
porary  of  Isaiah.  His  labors  and  interest  were  con¬ 
fined  in  the  main  to  the  northern  kingdom,  Israel. 

Contents 

The  pictures  drawn  in  this  book  of  the  social  and 
political  conditions  of  that  country  were  appalling. 
His  denunciations  were  terrific  and  the  central  idea 
of  his  prophecies  is,  God  is  the  only  rescue  of  the 
sin-laden  nation.  The  illustrations  employed  by  the 
prophet  have  their  origin  in  the  various  manifesta¬ 
tions  of  nature  and  the  modes  of  life.  The  neglect 
and  self-seeking  of  the  priests,  the  debaucheries  at 
the  feasts,  and  the  general  demoralized  conditions 
prevailing  in  his  days  are  denounced  most  sternly. 
Yet,  despite  all  his  obscurity,  amid  all  his  denuncia¬ 
tions,  the  tender  love  for  Israel  beams  forth  at  every 
possible  opportunity.  Jehovah  then  becomes  as  a 
loving  husband,  a  forgiving  father.  The  stirring 


158 


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times  in  which  he  lived  are  reflected  in  his  style  and 
the  contents  of  his  prophecy. 

Division 

1-3.  Symbolic  Acts. 

4- 14.  Prophetic  Discourses. 

Chapt.  1.  God  will  judge  Israel  on  account  of  her 
spiritual  whoredom. 

2.  The  idolatry  of  the  people  is  further  described 
and  promises  of  reconciliation  with  God  are  given. 
God  the  husband  of  Israel. 

3.  The  adulteress  is  put  aside.  A  new  union  will 
be  formed. 

4.  The  morals  are  corrupt. 

5- 13.  Judgment  becomes  necessary,  kings,  priests 
and  people  all  worship  idols  hoping  for  the  favor  of 
Assyria.  The  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  is  for¬ 
gotten.  Yet  the  time  of  visitations  is  near.  God,  as 
in  days  gone  by,  will  continue  to  be  gracious  to  his 
people.  Again  the  sins  are  reproved.  God  is  filled 
with  anger  and  destruction  is  threatened,  accompan¬ 
ied  by  captivity  and  distress.  Yet  the  Lord  gives  his 
promise:  “I  will  ranson  thee  from  the  power  of  the 
grave,  I  will  redeem  them  from  death:  0  death,  I 
will  be  thy  plagues,  0  grave  I  will  be  thy  destruc¬ 
tion.” 

14.  Redemption  is  at  hand.  Their  backsliding 
shall  be  healed.  “The  Lord  will  be  as  dew  unto 
Israel  and  he  shall  grow  as  the  lily.” 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  1,10 ;  2,23— -Rom.  9,25. 

6,6— Matth,  9,13  ;  12,7. 

10,8 — Luke  23,30 ;  Rev.  6,16. 

11,1 — Matth.  2,15. 


XXIX 


JOEL 


Title 

“Joel,  the  son  of  Pethuel,”  this  is  all  that  is 
known  for  certain  concerning  this  prophet.  The 
name  means  “Jehovah  is  God.” 

Authorship 

There  is  not  the  least  doubt  of  the  author  being 
the  prophet  Joel,  nor  as  to  the  fact  that  his  book  al¬ 
ways  has  held  its  place  in  the  Canon.  The  date  of 
the  book,  however,  is  difficult,  and  we  are  depen¬ 
dent  in  this  matter  entirely  on  internal  evidence. 
The  prophet  seems  to  refer  to  the  deliverance  of 
Judah  under  Jehoshaphat  (875),  and  it  is  not  impos¬ 
sible  that  the  conditions  which  he  described  tit  in 
the  period  following  the  division  of  the  kingdom. 
Others  again  have  placed  Joel  in  the  time  of  Joash 
(836).  It  is  certain  that  he  belongs  to  the  earliest 
of  the  later  prophets. 

The  description  in  this  book  is  vivid,  the  style  ele¬ 
vated  and  sublime,  the  passages  vigorous  in  color 
and  picturesque  in  description.  He  is  said  to  com¬ 
bine  the  beauty  and  loftiness  of  Isaiah  with  the  ten¬ 
derness  of  Jeremiah. 

Contents 

The  main  subject  is  the  coming  of  “the  dreadful 
day  of  the  Lord.”  The  sinfulness  of  the  people  of 
Judah  has  reached  a  point  where  the  Lord  will  send 
punishment.  The  aim  is  to  warn  the  nation,  in  order 
that  the  impending  calamity  be  averted. 


160 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Division 

Chapter  1.  The  prophet  exhorts  to  see  in  the 
plague  of  locust  the  hand  and  judgment  of  God. 

2.  Since  his  judgment  is  so  terrible,  Judah  will 
repent. 

2-3.  Signs  and  wonders  shall  appear  in  heaven  and 
earth,  but  the  church  shall  be  blessed  with  the 
Spirit  of  God. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  2,28 — Acts  2,17-21. 

2,32 — Rom.  10,13. 


XXX 


AMOS 

Title 

The  title  of  this  book  is  given  as  that  of  Amos, 
which  name  signifies  “burden,”  in  allusion  to  the 
grievous  message  which  he  has  to  deliver.  A  simple 
herdsman  without  training  in  the  schools  of  the  pro¬ 
phets,  one  whose  side  occupation  was  the  cultivation 
of  sycamore  trees,  God  called  him  at  Tekoa  to  de¬ 
liver  his  message  to  the  northern  kingdom. 

Authorship 

According  to  his  own  testimony  Amos  spoke  his 
prophecies  “in  the  days  of  Uzziah,  king  of  Judah, 
and  in  the  days  of  Jeroboam,  son  of  Joash,  king  of 
Israel,  two  years  before  the  earthquake,”  probably 
about  780.  We  have  no  knowledge  to  what  earth¬ 
quake  the  writer  refers.  The  style  is  not  sublime  or 
pitched  in  highest  strain  of  poetry,  but  is  notable 
for  its  clearness  and  energy,  and  shows  a  fine  liter¬ 
ary  skill.  The  imagery  is  based  on  the  scenes  among 
which  he  dwelt.  The  changes  in  nature,  the  dangers 
of  the  wild  beasts,  the  flood,  tempest,  lightning 
which  he  observed  in  his  watches  and  wanderings, 
left  their  lasting  impression  on  his  memory.  What 
a  force  expressed  in  sentences  like  these:  “Because 
I  will  do  this  unto  thee,  prepare  to  meet  thy  God, 
O  Israel.” 

Contents 

At  the  time  of  Amos,  both  Israel  and  Judah  stood 
high  in  prosperity  and  wealth,  and  with  these,  pride, 
luxury,  selfishness  and  oppression  were  rampant. 
There  is  a  striking  similarity  between  this  book  and 


162 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


the  Epistle  of  St.  James,  as  far  as  the  cause  of  the 
poor  is  concerned.  The  mission  of  the  seer  is  to  re¬ 
buke  the  wrongs  and  announce  to  the  careless  sin¬ 
ners  the  approach  of  Divine  judgment.  Though  es¬ 
pecially  sent  to  Israel,  his  cry  extended  to  Judah  and 
the  surrounding  nations. 

Division 

1-2.  The  Approaching  Judgment. 

3-6.  Call  to  Repentance. 

7-9.  Five  Visions. 

Chapt.  1-2.  Judgment  is  threatened  against  Syria, 
Philistia,  Tyre,  Edom,  Moab,  Judah  and  Israel.  The 
sins  of  the  Israel  will  bear  evil  fruit. 

3-6.  God’s  justice  must  be  acknowledged.  Formal 
religion  is  of  no  avail.  Formal  sacrifices  are  also 
vain.  God  demands  the  sacrifices  of  the  heart.  Com¬ 
plaint  over  the  unjust  judges  and  idolatry  of  the 
people  becomes  very  loud.  “The  dreadful  day  of 
the  Lord”  is  sure  to  come.  On  account  of  these 
evils,  exile  is  close  at  hand. 

7-9.  The  Lord’s  long  suffering  toward  a  stiff¬ 
necked  nation  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  visions  in¬ 
dicate  the  trials  to  come  in  the  form  of  locusts,  fire. 
A  basket  with  fruit,  the  plumbline,  each  have  a  spe¬ 
cial  meaning.  After  the  third  vision  the  prophet  is 
‘hreatened  by  Amaziah. 

The  book  concludes  with  words  in  regard  to  the 
rebuilding  of  the  broken  tabernacle  of  David  and 
the  coming  of  God’s  kingdom. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapter  5,25— Acts  7,42. 

9,11 — Acts  15,16. 


XXXI 


OBADIAH 

Title 

The  vision  of  Obadiah.  This  is  the  title  of  the 
book,  declaring  from  whom  and  through  whom  the 
revelation  comes,  the  name  meaning  “Worshipper." 

Authorship 

Not  much  is  known  of  the  prophet  to  whom  this 
book  is  generally  ascribed.  Not  even  the  father’s 
name  is  given,  which  is  usually  done.  Several  per¬ 
sons  occur  in  the  Old  Testament  with  the  same  name 
(1  Kings  18,3;  1  Chron.  3,21;  7,3;  8,38;  9,16;  12,9; 
27,19;  Ezra  8,9;  Neh.  10,5;  2  Chron.  17,7;  34,12), 
but  none  of  these  has  any  pretension  to  be 
considered  our  prophet.  From  comparison  of  verses 
1-9  with  Jer.  49  fg.,  it  would  seem  evident  that  Jere¬ 
miah  quotes  from  Obadiah.  Joel  2,32 ;  3,3  ;  3.10  also 
reveal  close  relationship  with  passages  in  Obadiah. 
From  these  and  other  evidences  it  appears  that 
Obadiah  is  one  of  the  earliest,  if  not  the  earliest 
prophet  of  this  later  group.  From  his  language  it 
may  be  gathered  that  Jerusalem  was  captured  and 
plundered.  We  have  records  of  at  least  three  occa¬ 
sions  of  such  happening.  One  under  Shishak,  in  the 
reign  of  Rehoboam  (1  Kings  14,25).  But  this  took 
place  when  the  Edomites  were  subject  to  Judah  and 
they  could  not  have  acted  in  the  manner  described. 
The  second  belongs  to  the  reign  of  Jehoram  (2 
Chron.  21,16  fg.  Arabians,  including  Edomites). 
The  third  occasion  is  described  in  2  Kings  14,8  fg. 
But  this  last  one  can  not  be  the  disaster  referred  to. 
It  is  likely,  therefore,  that  he  lived  during  the  time 


164 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


of  Jehoram  and  possibly  partly  during  the  time 
of  Joash. 

Contents 

One  thought  is  predominating  in  this  book,  namely 
the  thought  of  Edom’s  cruelty  and  punishment. 

Division 

Verses  1-10.  Edom,  now  proud,  arrogant  and 
haughty  shall  fall.  Its  delight  in  the  discomfiture 
of  Judah  shall  change  to  sorrow  over  its  own 
degradation. 

11-21.  The  day  of  judgment  shall  come  over  sev¬ 
eral  nations  and  Israel  shall  possess  the  lands  of  her 
former  enemies  and  shall  rejoice  in  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  the  kingdom  of  Jehovah. 


XXXII 


JONAH 

Title 

“Now  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jonah, 
(meaning  dove),  the  son  of  Amattai.”  Thus  is  set 
forth  the  title  of  this  book. 

Authorship 

There  is  no  valid  reason  to  doubt  that  the  hero  of 
this  story  gives  a  description  of  incidents  happening 
in  his  life.  Whether  the  book  was  written  in  the 
present  form  by  the  prophet  himself  or  whether  the 
account,  based  on  the  original  Jonah  narration,  was 
compiled  by  a  later  author,  is  difficult  to  determine. 
It  is  commonly  assumed  that  Jonah  lived  during  the 
reign  of  Jeroboam  II,  king  of  Israel.  Both  as  to 
form  and  contents  the  book  resembles  the  biograph¬ 
ical  narratives  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  though  it  is 
pervaded  by  a  more  didactic  aim. 

Contents 

The  work  is  not  a  prophecy  but  an  account  of  the 
hero’s  mission  to  the  great  city  of  Nineveh.  Per¬ 
sonal  feelings  and  narrow  nationalism  play  a  great 
part  and  God  rebukes  the  prophet  for  his  view. 
When  the  prophet  endeavors  to  flee,  on  being  thrown 
overboard,  he  is  swallowed  by  a  huge  fish,  but  saved. 
Now  he  executes  the  Lord’s  command  to  preach  re¬ 
pentance  to  the  Ninevites.  Again  he  shows  his  dis¬ 
pleasure  at  God’s  longsuffering  and  again  God  re¬ 
bukes  him  in  the  lesson  of  the  gourd.  As  to  the  story 
in  regard  to  the  prophet  being  swallowed  by  a  great 
fish,  it  is  often  assumed  that  this  fish  was  a  whale, 
and  critics  have  said  that  a  whale  could  not  swallow 


166 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


a  man.  There  is  nothing  in  the  word  to  identify 
the  fish  and  to  call  it  a  whale  is  a  mistranslation. 
The  white  shark  in  the  Mediterranean  is  known  to 
have  swallowed  a  whole  man,  even  a  horse,  and  this 
may  have  been  the  great  fish.  Of  course  the  preser¬ 
vation  of  Jonah’s  life  in  the  belly  of  the  fish  was 
supernatural  and  belongs  to  the  miracles. 

If  the  possibility  of  this  miracle  is  often  disputed 
on  the  ground  that  it  is  so  extraordianry,  then  all 
miracles  must  be  disputed  on  the  same  ground. 
Josephus,  the  Jews  in  general,  Christ  and  the 
apostles  regarded  this  account  as  historical. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  God  calls  the  prophet  to  a  mission  which 
proves  distasteful  to  him  and  Jonah  attempts  to 
flee.  But  on  account  of  a  furious  storm  is  thrown 
overboard  by  the  superstitious  sailors,  and  a  great 
fish  swallows  the  prophet. 

2.  When  in  distress  in  the  belly  of  the  fish,  he 
repents  and  prays  to  the  Lord,  who  causes  his  de¬ 
liverance  by  bidding  the  fish  to  vomit  him  up,  and 
thus  Jonah  safely  lands  ashore. 

3.  The  prophet  now  obeys  the  command  of  the 
Lord  and  preaches  to  the  people  of  Nineveh  who, 
upon  hearing  him,  repent,  and  God  thereupon  does 
not  execute  the  threat  of  destruction. 

4.  The  prophet  repines  on  account  of  God’s  mercy, 
but  God  teaches  him  through  the  gourd  that  he 
loves  all  creatures. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  1— Matthew  12,39  fg. 

16,4. 

Luke  11,29  fg. 


XXXIII 


MICAH 

Title 

The  title  in  the  original  form  was  Michajahu, 
meaning  “who  is  like  Jehovah/’  The  name  is  not 
uncommon  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  none  of  the 
other  persons  so  called  are  of  much  note  in  the 
sacred  story  save  Micah,  called  the  Morasthite,  from 
a  little  village  now  known  as  Merash,  in  the  south¬ 
west  of  Judah. 

Authorship 

The  work  under  consideration  is  undoubtedly  that 
of  the  prophet  whose  name  the  superscription  indi¬ 
cates.  Micah  was  a  younger  contemporary  of  Isaiah, 
as  appears  from  internal  evidence  in  the  book,  and 
from  Jer.  26  fg.  Both  Isaiah  and  Micah  worked 
together,  strengthening  the  hand  of  Hezekiah  and 
guiding  the  faithful  in  their  difficulties  rampant  in 
those  days.  The  style  of  the  book  is  rough,  as  be¬ 
fits  the  peasant  author,  but  pure  and  intelligible. 
Contents 

Assyria  appears  the  most  dangerous  enemy,  how¬ 
ever,  in  the  distance  Babylon  looms  as  the  place  .of 
future  captivity.  The  people  gloried  in  the  fact 
that  they  were  the  chosen  nation,  but  did  not  believe 
nor  obey  Jehovah. 

Division 

1-5.  Announcement  of  Judgment  over  Judah  and 
Israel. 

6-7.  Punishment  is  the  consequences  of  sin,  re¬ 
pentance  the  only  hope  of  sharing  in  the  mercies 
of  Jehovah. 


168 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Chapt.  1.  The  wrath  of  Jehovah  over  the  idolatry 
of  Judah  is  announced  in  the  most  vivid  manner. 

2.  Flagrant  oppression  prevails. 

3.  The  princes  are  cruel.  The  law  will  come 
from  Zion. 

4.  Zion  will  be  glorious. 

5.  The  birth  of  the  Messiah  is  prophesied  to  take 
place  at  Bethlehem  Ephratah.  His  kingdom  will  be 
victorious. 

6.  God  is  displeased  on  account  of  the  prevailing 
injustice  and  idolatry. 

7.  Zion  places  her  confidence  in  God,  not  in  man, 
and  therefore  will  be  triumphant. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  5,2 — Matth.  2,6. 

John  7,42. 


XXXIV 


NAHUM 


Title 

The  title  of  the  book  states  that  it  is  concerned 
with  but  one  subject  and  that  is  “the  burden  of 
Nineveh.”  “The  burden  of  Nineveh,  the  book  of 
the  vision  of  Nahum,  the  Elkoshite.”  The  prophet’s 
name  means  “comforter,”  and  does  not  occur  else¬ 
where  in  the  Bible.  Elkoshite  signifies  that  the 
bearer  was  a  native  of  Elkosh,  probably  the  mod¬ 
ern  El-Kauzeh. 

Authorship 

The  superscription  of  the  book  is  not  called  in 
question.  But  the  time  of  the  author’s  existence 
and  writing  cannot  be  definitely  fixed.  Since  the 
fall  of  Nineveh  is  contemplated  as  imminent,  and 
the  Assyrians  are  unable  to  prevent  it,  it  may  be 
safe  to  place  him  in  the  time  of  the  decadence  of 
the  Assyrian  power  between  666-630  B.  C.1 

Contents 

Jehovah  is  sitting  in  judgment  and  particularly 
over  the  capital  of  Assyria.  In  vivid  and  forceful 
language  Nahum  depicts  the  assault  upon  Nineveh, 
the  plight  of  its  inhabitants.  There  is  no  comfort  for 

fFrom  the  Assyrian  inscription  it  has  been  ascertained 
that  the  destruction  of  No-Amon  which  is  mentioned  in 
3,8,  took  place  about  664  B.  C.  Those  destructive  critics 
who  have  claimed  the  passage  3,8  to  be  an  interpolation 
not  worthy  of  consideration  have,  as  often,  again  been  re¬ 
futed  by  the  ancient  records  which  prove  the  veracity  of 
the  prophet  and  the  rashness  of  the  critics.  Scrader, 
Assyrian  Inscriptions,  pp.  450  fg. 


i 


170 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


her,  as  there  was  no  comfort  for  No-Amon.  (Thebes, 
in  Egypt).  The  proud  empire  of  Nineveh  must 
pass  away. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  God  in  his  majesty  is  a  jealous  God  who 
will  deal  severely  with  his  enemies. 

2.  Fearful  and  victorious  will  be  the  armies  of 
Jehovah  against  the  city  of  Nineveh.  The  end  of  the 
oppressors  is  at  hand. 

3.  On  account  of  its  extreme  wickedness,  there 
shall  be  no  refuge.  The  city  after  being  destroyed 
shall  never  again  be  built. 


XXXV 


IIABAKKUK 


Title 

“The  burden  which  Habakkuk  the  prophet  did 
see.”  This  is  the  title  of  the  book.  According  to  an 
intimation  in  the  book  besides  holding  the  office  of 
the  prophet  he  was  also  a  Levite.  (3,19). 

Authorship 

The  author  calls  himself  Habakkuk,  signifying 
“Embracing.”  In  the  apocryphal  book  “Bel  and 
the  Dragon,”  a  prophet  by  this  name  carries  food 
to  Daniel  in  the  lions’  den.  There  is  hardly  any  con¬ 
nection  between  the  writer  of  the  canonical  book 
and  the  prophet  mentioned  in  the  apocrypha.  It 
is  probable  that  Habakkuk  prophesied  during  the 
days  of  Josiah  and  Jehoiakim  when  the  invasion  of 
the  Babylonian  was  imminent. 

Contents 

Nahum  had  comforted  Judah  with  the  prophecy 
that  Assyria  would  be  overthrown.  Habakkuk 
warns  the  nation  against  the  attitude  of  believing 
itself  safe  and  falsely  secure.  Another  great 
empire  will  be  commissioned  to  punish  Judah  for  its 
backslidings  although  there  had  been  a  temporary 
reform  under  Josiah.  Paul  makes  use  of  the  thought 
expressed  by  Habakkuk,  “The  just  shall  live  by 
faith,”  on  several  occasions.  The  poetic  conception 
and  splendor  of  diction  ranks  with  the  finest  which 
Hebrew  poetry  has  produced. 

Chapt.  1.  In  the  form  of  a  coloquy  between  the 


172 


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prophet  and  God,  judgment  is  promised  the  people 
on  account  of  their  iniquity.  The  Chaldeans  shall 
execute  the  vengeance  of  Jehovah. 

2.  The  Lord  answers  the  prayer  of  the  righteous. 
They  who  put  their  trust  in  him  shall  escape  judg¬ 
ment.  “The  just  shall  live  by  faith.”  The  Chal¬ 
deans  shall  in  turn  be  punished  for  their  cruelty 
and  crimes. 

3.  The  prophet  in  prayer  trembles  at  the  thought 
of  God’s  majesty,  but  is  confident  in  his  faith. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  1,5 — Acts  13,41. 

1,8 — Matth.  24,28. 

2,4 — Rom.  1,17. 

Gal.  3,11. 

Hebr.  10,38. 


XXXVI 


ZEPHANIAH 


Title 

“The  word  of  the  Lord  which  came  unto  Zeph- 
aniah  the  son  of  Cushi,  the  son  of  Gedaliah,  the  son 
of  Amariah,  the  son  of  Hezekiah,  in  the  days  of 
Josiah,  the  son  of  Ammon,  king  in  Judah.”  Out¬ 
side  of  this  information  nothing  else  is  known  of 
this  prophet.  The  name  has  been  variously  ex¬ 
plained  as:  “the  Lord  hath  hid,  the  Lord  hath 
guarded.”  Some  have  connected  him  with  the  king 
Hezekiah  on  account  of  the  similarity  of  the  name 
of  his  father  and  that  king.  But  this  is  doubtful. 

Authorship 

The  authorship  of  the  book  is  ascribed  to  Zeph- 
aniah ;  and  as  to  date  the  author  indicates  that  he 
lived  during  the  time  of  Josiah.  The  conditions 
which  he  describes  find  their  parallel  in  the  existing 
condition  during  that  monarch’s  reign. 

Contents 

This  prophecy  besides  including  Judah  and  Israel, 
holds  in  view  the  universal  sway  of  the  law.  Fur¬ 
ious  denunciations  of  his  own  people  mingle  with 
the  stern  announcements  of  the  doom  of  the  idolat¬ 
rous  foreign  nations.  Though  not  directly  mention¬ 
ing  the  Messiah,  promises  relating  to  him  are 
numerous. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  The  day  of  Jehovah  is  drawing  nigh 
over  Judah.  The  idolators,  the  violent,  the  merch¬ 
ants,  all  the  wicked  shall  feel  his  strong  arm. 


174 


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2.  The  nations  surrounding  Israel  are  admonished 
to  repent ;  all  enemies  of  Jehovah  shall  be  ex¬ 
terminated. 

3.  But  to  Zion  a  day  of  restoration  is  promised. 
Therefore:  “Sing,  0  daughter  of  Zion,  shout  0 
Israel;  be  glad  and  rejoice  with  all  thy  heart,  0 
daughter  of  Jerusalem.”  God  is  condescending 
and  will  again  dwell  among  Israel. 


XXXVII 


HAGGAI 


Title 

“The  word  of  the  Lord  came  through  Haggai,” 
which  signifies  the  “Festive’ 7  called  thus,  either  be¬ 
cause  he  was  born  on  a  great  festival  or  because  he 
sowed  in  tears  that  he  might  reap  in  joy,  as  St. 
Jerome  explains.  He  is  mentioned  with  Zechariah 
in  Ezra  (5,1 ;  6,14)  as  prophesying  unto  the  Jews 
that  were  in  Jerusalem  urging  them  on  to  continue 
the  work  of  rebuilding  the  temple,  in  the  second 
year  of  Darius,  520  B.  C.  Although  tradition  has 
mistakenly  assigned  him  to  the  reign  of  Darius 
Nothus.1 

Authorship 

The  work  is  that  of  the  prophet  whose  name  it 
bears,  but  the  prophecies  were  uttered  during  the 
period  covering  about  three  to  four  months.  Hith¬ 
erto  the  prophets  had  dated  their  time  of  office  from 
the  reign  of  the  legitimate  Hebrew  kings.  A  new 
state  of  affairs  is  manifested  when  they  place  at  the 
head  of  their  work  the  name  of  a  foreign  monarch. 

Contents 

Possibly  about  a  century  lay  between  Zephaniah 
and  Haggai.  Israel  had  been  destroyed,  Judah  as  a 
kingdom  was  no  more.  But  after  seventy  years  of 
captivity  for  Judah,  God  stirred  up  the  heart  of 
Cyrus  to  allow  the  return  of  the  people  and  rebuild- 

tFor  corrected  Persian  Chronology  see  Ahl,  Outline  of 
Persian  History  based  on  the  Cuneiform  Inscriptions, 

pp.  108-110. 


176 


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ing  of  their  temple  and  city.  Enemies  from  with¬ 
out  hindered  the  progress.  Under  Cambyses  and 
Pseudo-Smerdis  a  suspension  of  operations  was 
brought  about.  But  a  happier  day  dawned  with  the 
ascension  to  the  Persian  throne  of  Darius  I.  The 
interdict  which  had  stopped  the  work  at  Jerusalem 
was  removed.  Nothing  was  now  wanting  but  the 
will  to  carry  out  the  project.  To  inspire  this  will  in 
the  heart  of  the  people  was  to  the  purpose  of  Haggai 
and  he  did  not  rest  till  the  work  was  completed. 
Zerubabbel  and  Joshua  found  in  him  a  strong  ally  in 
the  cause  before  the  eyes  of  all.  The  people  are  re¬ 
proved  for  their  neglect  of  God’s  house  while  they 
themselves  lived  for  their  own  selfish  purposes 
and  ends. 

His  great  theme  is  the  new  temple  and  its  glory 
which  shall  surpass  the  former.  Though  not  devoid 
of  force,  the  language  of  the  prophet  is  simple  and 
prosaic. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  The  people  are  reproved  for  their  neg¬ 
lect  of  God’s  house.  This  neglect  was  not  due  to 
lack  of  means,  but  rather  to  a  startling  indifference 
towards  the  general  plan  of  restoration.  The  pro¬ 
phecy  was  uttered  in  the  second  year  of  Darius,  the 
first  day  of  the  6th  month. 

2-1-9.  Words  of  encouragement  are  addressed  to 
those,  who  having  seen  the  temple  of  Solomon, 
might  find  this  temple  not  equal  in  splendor.  The 
latter  temple  shall  exceed  the  former  in  glory.  These 
words  were  spoken  on  the  21st  day  of  the  7th  month. 

2,10-19.  The  people  are  again  reproved  for  their 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


177 


formality,  and  are  called  unclean  as  long  as  the 
temple  is  unbuilt.  These  words  were  spoken  on  the 
24th  day  of  the  9th  month. 

2,20-23.  Zerubbabel,  the  civil  head  and  representa¬ 
tive  of  David’s  line  is  encouraged  with  the  promise 
of  the  overthrow  of  thrones  and  kingdoms. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  2,6  — Hebr.  12,26. 

2,23— Matth.  1,12 
Luke  3,27 


XXXVIII 


ZECHARIAH 

Title 

‘  ‘  In  the  eighth  month  in  the  second  year  of  Darius 
came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Zechariah,  the  son 
of  Berechiah,  the  son  of  Iddo,  the  prophet.”  It  is 
with  these  words  that  the  title  of  the  book  is  stated. 
Prophesying  in  the  second  and  fourth  year  of  Darius 
I,  520-518  B.  C.  He  Avas  a  contemporary  of  Haggai 
and  is  undoubtedly  identical  with  the  Zechariah,  son 
of  Iddo,  named  in  Ezra  5,1 ;  6,14. 

Authorship 

Zechariah,  which  means  “The  Lord  remembers,” 
is  denied  the  authorship  of  the  whole  work  by  many 
scholars.  Chapters  9-14  have  been  assigned  to  the 
times  of  Ahaz  and  Josiah  respectively.  There  is  a 
difference  in  form  and  style.  Conditions  and  per¬ 
sons  are  mentioned  which  point  to  pre-exilian  times. 
Against  such  arguments  it  may  be  said  that  though 
fragments  of  pre-exilian  prophecies  have  been  in¬ 
corporated  by  the  author  as  a  whole  the  traditional 
view  as  to  authorship  would  seem  correct.  It  is 
after  all  a  matter  of  secondary  importance  whether 
the  words  that  pass  under  his  name  are  assigned  to 
one,  two  or  three  authors,  as  long  as  the  writer  was 
gifted  with  predictive  power.  With  much  likelihood 
it  has  been  conjectured  that  the  last  chapters  in 
question  had  been  placed  at  the  end  of  the  minor 
prophets  before  Malachi  was  added  to  the  canon, 
and  thus  became  appended  to  Zechariah  without 
further  examination.  The  mention  of  Javan  (Greece) 
and  other  indications  certainly  favor  the  post-exilian 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


179 


date.  Neither  are  the  differences  in  style  and  form 
marked.  Where  there  is  likeness  of  thought  and  ex¬ 
pression  there  is  a  correspondence  of  form  and  style 
also.  The  contents  naturally  must  influence  both 
form  and  style  . 

Contents 

The  burden  of  these  prophecies  is  similar  to  those 
of  Haggai.  The  people  had  become  willing  to  pro¬ 
ceed  with  the  work  of  the  Lord.  But  there  was  a 
seeming  contradiction  between  the  conditions  as 
promised  by  the  prophet  and  reality.  It  becomes 
necessary  that  the  prophet  point  out  the  necessity 
of  passing  through  many  tribulations  before  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  finally  appear  in  its  fulness. 

Division 

1-8.  Prophetic  Visions. 

9-14.  Promises  in  regard  to  God’s  kingdom. 

Chapt.  1.  The  nation  is  warned  to  repent.  In  the 
vision  of  the  four  horns  and  four  carpenters  the  de¬ 
struction  of  the  enemies  are  seen. 

2.  The  man  with  the  measure  indicates  that 
Jerusalem  shall  be  built. 

3.  Under  the  type  of  Joshua  restoration  is 
promised. 

4.  The  golden  candlestick  foreshadows  the  suc¬ 
cess  of  the  work. 

5.  The  flying  roll  announces  judgment  to  the 
transgressor,  but  the  woman  of  sin  will  be  cast  out. 

6.  The  four  chariots  passing  between  the  moun¬ 
tains  of  God  will  conquer  the  wicked  world  powers. 

7-8.  Fasting  is  vain  if  change  of  heart  be  absent. 
But  joy  and  restoration  is  promised  in  which  even 
the  Gentiles  shall  take  part. 


180 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


9-11.  Threats  against  Syria,  Phoenicia,  and  the 
Phillistines  are  uttered.  Zion  is  admonished  to  re¬ 
joice.  But,  “Rejoice  greatly,  0  daughter  of  Zion; 
shout,  0  daughter  of  Jerusalem,  behold  thy  king 
cometh  unto  thee ;  he  is  just,  and  having  salvation ; 
lowly  and  riding  upon  an  ass  and  upon  a  colt  the 
foal  of  an  ass.”  Israel  and  Judah  together  shall  be 
victorious  by  the  help  of  God.  Egypt  and  Assyria  will 
both  be  humiliated.  The  northern  powers  shall  be 
punished  and  the  good  shepherd  will  feed  his  flock. 

12-14.  When  the  heathen  approach,  Jehovah  shall 
lead  and  protect  his  own.  The  spirit  of  grace  and 
prayer  shall  be  poured  out  over  the  house  of  David 
and  the  citizens  of  the  Holy  City. 

Then  all  the  idols  shall  be  destroyed  and  the  false 
prophets  and  idolators  be  cast  out.  Jerusalem  shall 
be  destroyed  but  a  third  of  its  inhabitants  shall  be 
saved.  All  nations  shall  worship  Jehovah,  amd 
Jerusalem  shall  become  the  centre  of  the  world. 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  9,9  — Matth.  21,5. 

11.12 —  Matth.  26,15. 

11.13—  Matth.  27,9  fg. 

12,10— John  19,37. 

13,7  —Matth.  26,31. 


XXXIX 

MALACHI 


Title 

‘  ‘  The  burden  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Israel  by 
Malachi,”  thus  the  prophet  briefly  introduces  him¬ 
self  and  his  message  to  Israel.  The  name  Malachi 
does  not  occur  elsewhere  in  the  Scriptures ;  it  is 
probably  contracted  from  Malachijah,  meaning 
“Messenger  of  Jehovah.” 

Authorship 

Some  scholars  have  conjectured  that  the  prophecy 
when  it  came  into  the  hands  of  the  compiler,  had  no 
author’s  name  prefixed  and  that  a  pseudonym  for 
Ezra,  or  a  symbolical  name  was  employed  when  the 
canon  was  arranged.  But  such  usage  is  unknown 
in  Biblical  literature  and  the  authenticity  of  the 
contents  of  this  book  is  acknowledged  by  the  naming 
of  the  author  as  one  known  to  his  contemporaries 
and  approved  by  God.  Malachi,  therefore,  certainly 
is  a  real  person,  and  though  nothing  is  known  about 
him,  yet  the  same  is  true  also  of  Obadiah  and  Habak- 
kuk,  of  whose  personality  no  doubt  has  ever  arisen. 
Malachi  was  a  contemporary  of  Nehemiah,  exercising 
his  ministry  during  the  time  of  Nehemiah ’s  second 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  probably  about  433. 

Contents 

Nehemiah,  after  having  begun  the  work  of  restora¬ 
tion  and  reformation,  had  been  recalled  to  the  Per¬ 
sian  court  during  the  reign  of  Artaxerxes,  either  be¬ 
cause  his  furlough  had  expired,  or  to  give  an  account 
of  his  actions.  The  latitudinarian  party  among  the 


182 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Jews  had  taken  advantage  of  his  absence  and  evil 
practices  and  open  disregard  for  the  law  had  again 
crept  in.  Ezra  was  probably  dead,  since  no  further 
mention  is  made  of  him.  But  at  this  crisis,  God 
raised  up  the  prophet  Malachi  to  assist  Nehemiah 
in  a  new  reformation.  Boldly  and  unflinchingly  he 
reproves  the  delinquencies  of  the  priests  and  peo¬ 
ple  and  announces  the  great  day  of  judgment.  The 
prophet’s  style  is  argumentative.  The  messenger, 
to  be  sent  before  the  Messiah  is  most  prominent  in 
his  mind.  Each  of  the  three  evangelists,  Matthew, 
Mark  and  Luke,  speaks  of  Christ  as  applying  Mala¬ 
chi ’s  thought  to  John  the  Baptist. 

Division 

The  book  divides  into  four  parts. 

Chapt.  1.  The  lot  of  Israel,  despite  all  discourage¬ 
ment,  is  far  more  favorable  than  the  lot  of  Edom. 
But  the  priests  have  despised  Jehovah  and  do  not 
perform  their  duties  to  the  honor  of  God. 

2.  The  people  are  led  astray  by  their  wicked 
conduct. 

3.  The  people  have  many  shortcomings.  They 
intermarry  with  the  heathen  and  have  many  illegal 
divorces.  But  the  coming  of  the  messenger  shall 
purify  them.  Some,  vexed  by  misfortune,  turn 
against  God.  Others,  chastened  by  adversity,  learn 
to  fear  and  to  respect  the  day  of  judgment. 

4.  The  day  of  Jehovah  is  near  for  the  destruction 
of  the  wicked.  Those  who  would  escape  this  terrible 
day  must  observe  the  law.  “Behold,  I  will  send  you 
Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  coming  of  the  great 
and  dreadful  dav  of  the  Lord ;  and  he  shall  turn  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


183 


heart  of  fathers  to  their  children,  and  the  heart  of 
the  children  to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite 
the  earth  with  a  curse.” 

References  in  the  New  Testament 

Chapt.  1,2  fg. — Rom.  9,13. 

3,1 — Matth.  11,10. 

Luke  7,27. 

4,5  fg.— Matth.  11,14. 

17,10. 

Mark  9,11. 

Luke  1,17. 


XL 

SYNOPSIS  OF  MESSIANIC  PROPHECIES 


There  are  two  kinds  of  Messianic  prophecies,  the 
direct  and  the  typical.  The  direct  prophecies  have 
reference  to  Christ’s  person  and  work.  The  typical 
prophecies  refer  to  the  blessings  emanating  from  the 
fulfillment  of  the  promises  in  regard  to  the  Messiah 
and  his  kingdom  as  manifested  in  the  history  of 
Israel  and  other  nations. 

Genesis  3,15.  The  destroyer  of  the  serpent. 

9,26-27.  Japheth’s  dwelling  in  the  tents  of  Shem. 

12,3;  22,18.  Abraham’s  seed. 

26,4.  Isaak. 

28.14.  Jacob. 

49,10.  The  sceptre  from  Judah. 

Numbers  21,9.  The  serpent  of  brass. 

24.15.  Jacob’s  star. 

Deuteronomy  18,15  fg.  The  prophet  like  unto 
Moses. 

2  Samuel  7,12-14.  The  promised  seed  of  David. 

Psalm  2.  Thou  art  my  son. 

16.  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell. 

22.  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me? 

24.  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates. 

40.  Behold  I  come,  in  the  volume  of  the  book  is 
written  of  me. 

45.  Thou  are  fairer  than  the  children  of  men. 

69.  They  also  gave  me  gall  for  my  meat  and  vine¬ 
gar  for  my  drink. 

72.  The  prince  of  peace. 

110.  The  Lord  shall  send  the  rod  of  thy  strength 
out  of  Zion. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


185 


118.  Blessed  is  lie  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord. 

Isaiah  2,3.  Salvation  shall  come  from  Zion. 

4,2.  The  branch  of  the  Lord. 

7,14.  A  virgin  shall  conceive. 

9,6.  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born. 

11.1.  The  rod  of  Jesse. 

25,7.  He  will  take  away  the  cover  from  all  nations. 

28.16.  The  precious  cornerstone. 

32.1.  The  king  of  righteousness. 

35.  The  return  through  the  wilderness. 

40.  The  preacher  in  the  wilderness. 

42.  The  meek  Saviour  and  the  bruised  reed. 

49.  The  light  of  the  Gentiles. 

53.  The  servant  of  Jehovah. 

60.  Darkness  disappears. 

61.  The  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

65.17.  The  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth. 

Jeremiah  23,5  and  33,15.  The  righteous  branch 
of  David. 

31,31  fg.  The  new  covenant. 

Ezekiel  17,23.  The  cedar  branch. 

34,23.  The  shepherd  of  David. 

36,26.  New  heart  and  new  spirit. 

37.  The  resurrection  of  Israel. 

Daniel  7,13.  The  son  of  man. 

12.  The  prince  Michael. 

Hosea  11,1.  Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  son. 
Joel  2,27  fg.  Outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Amos  9,11.  The  tabernacle  of  David. 

Jonah  2.  Three  days  in  the  belly  of  the  fish. 
Micah  5,2.  Thou  Bethlehem  Ephratah. 

Haggai  2,9.  Greater  glory  of  the  second  temple. 


186 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Ze chari ah  6,12.  The  branch. 

9,9.  The  entry  of  the  king. 

11.12.  Thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

11.13.  The  potter’s  field. 

12,10.  The  spirit  of  grace. 

Malachi  3,1.  The  messenger  of  Jehovah. 

4,5  fg.  Elijah  will  come  before  the  dreadful  day 
of  the  Lord. 


XLI 

NEW  TIMES 


Exhausted  by  internal  strife,  coupled  with  ex¬ 
ternal  wars,  the  evils  within  remaining  unremedied, 
the  Persian  state  during  the  reigns  of  the  later  kings 
hastened  to  its  ruin.  It  remained  for  the  great  son 
of  Philip  of  Macedon  to  strike  the  death  blow  330 
B.  C.  Greece,  Egypt,  Tyre,  Persia  and  its  vast  do¬ 
mains  all  became  subject  to  Alexander  the  Great. 
At  his  death  the  great  empire  was  divided  among  his 
four  generals,  the  Diadochoi — Ptolemy,  Lysimachus, 
Cassander  and  Seleucus.  Egypt  was  given  to  Ptol¬ 
emy  and  in  the  coarse  of  time  Palestine  was  added  to 
his  share.  Ptolemy  at  first  treated  the  Jews  with 
severity,  but  soon  he  discovered  that  on  account  of 
their  superior  character  the  Jews  were  highly  useful 
to  the  state.  Large  numbers  were  sent  to  various 
parts  of  his  dominions.  The  successor  of  the  first 
Ptolemy  was  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  kings  of  Egypt.  The  famous  light¬ 
house  of  Pharos,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  the 
great  library  of  Alexandria,  containing  a  collection 
of  works  of  the  writers  of  all  nations,  were  among 
the  lasting  accomplishments  of  this  king.  Under 
his  patronage  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  were  translated 
into  Greek,  this  version  being  known  as  the  Septua- 
gint.  In  Judea  the  most  distinguished  man  about 
this  time  was  Simon  the  Just,  known  for  his  wis¬ 
dom,  integrity  and  piety.  Antigonus  of  Socho, 
president  of  the  Sanhedrin,  who  was  held  in  very 
high  esteem,  flourished  a  short  time  after.  One  of 
his  pupils,  Sadoc,  is  thought  to  have  been  the  found- 


188 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


er  of  the  sect  of  the  Sadducees,  who  held  that  there 
would  be  no  resurrection,  no  future  life. 

After  various  changes  of  fortune,  Seleucus,  son  of 
Antiochus,  built  up  the  powerful  monarchy  of  Syro- 
Macedonia,  of  which  Palestine  afterwards  was  to 
form  a  part.  Like  Alexander  and  Ptolemy,  Seleucus 
encouraged  the  Jews  to  take  up  residence  in  the 
new  cities  which  he  had  founded,  disregarding  Da¬ 
mascus,  Susa  and  Babylon.  The  province  of  Pal¬ 
estine  formed  a  constant  bone  of  contention  between 
Syria  and  Egypt. 

Ptolemy  Philopator  of  Egypt,  and  Antiochus  the 
Great  of  Syria,  contested  at  Raphia,  where  Anti¬ 
ochus  was  forced  to  give  way  for  the  time  being. 
The  Jews,  apparently  having  taken  sides  with  Anti¬ 
ochus,  were  severely  persecuted  for  this  in  Palestine 
and  Egypt.  Ptolemy  Epiphanes,  an  infant  of  five 
years,  followed  Ptolemy  Philopator  on  the  Egyptian 
throne.  Antiochus  now  wrested  Palestine  from 
Egypt  and  from  this  time  forth  it  was  regarded  as  a 
Syrian  province.  The  Egyptians  secured  the  aid  of 
the  powerful  Roman  empire  which  had  become 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  east,  and  whose 
legions  compelled  Antiochus  to  evacuate  the  country 
east  of  the  Taurus,  and  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
war.  Antiochus  later  fell  at  the  hands  of  assassins. 
His  successor  was  Seleucus  Philopator,  who  in  turn 
was  succeeded  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  called  the 
“illustrious.”  Various  troubles  and  persecutions 
for  the  Jews  arose  under  his  reign.  Desecration  of 
the  temple,  frightful  massacres,  and  gross  wicked¬ 
ness  were  his  chief  distinctions.  But  enough  re¬ 
mained  of  the  noble  Jewish  spirit  to  attempt  resist- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


189 


ance  to  such  atrocities.  The  Maccabees,  gathered 
around  them  a  number  of  patriots  and  a  war  of  in¬ 
dependence,  first  under  the  leadership  of  Mattathias, 
then  his  son  Judas,  finally  brought  the  Syrians  to 
terms  and  a  peace  was  concluded  with  the  Jews. 

Judas  Maccabaeus  became  governor  of  Palestine. 
The  temple  was  purged  and  rededicated  and  the 
ancient  services  were  again  held  as  of  yore.  But 
soon  the  Syrians  attacked  again  and  Judas  began  to 
lose  ground.  He  appealed  to  the  Romans  for  help, 
but  fell  in  battle  before  aid  reached  his  cause. 

Jonathan  succeeded  him.  After  having  reached 
his  goal,  to  have  his  authority  acknowledged  by  the 
Syrians,  he  was  murdered  and  his  brother  Simon 
became  governor  of  the  province.  His  successor  was 
John  Hyrcanus.  The  two  opposing  factions,  the 
Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees,  when  two  grandsons  of 
John  Hyrcanus  contended  for  the  dignity  of  the 
office,  brought  about  a  civil  war  in  Judea.  Both 
rivals  submitted  their  claims  to  Pompey  the  Roman 
general  who  had  conquered  Syria.  He  decided  in 
favor  of  Hyrcanus.  Aristobulus  resisting,  was  over¬ 
come,  by  the  aid  of  the  Romans,  and  Jerusalem 
taken.  Hyrcanus  became  governor  of  Palestine,  yet 
was  forced  to  pay  a  yearly  tribute  to  Rome.  In  a 
subsequent  division  of  the  Roman  empire  after 
Caesar’s  death,  Antony  became  governor  of  Syria 
and  the  east.  Herod,  having  married  Mariamne 
from  the  house  of  the  Maccabees,  had  gained  the 
favors  of  the  new  governor,  and  as  the  son  of  Anti¬ 
pater,  procurator  under  Hyrcanus,  was  finally  made 
king  of  Judaea.  His  murders  and  cruelties  were 
many;  the  Jews  never  liked  him  since  he  was  an 


190 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Idumaean.  His  wife  and  his  own  son,  among  others, 
fell  victims  to  his  suspicions.  It  was  under  this 
bloody  monarch  that  Christ  was  born  and  that  the 
wholesale  massacre  of  the  babes  of  Bethlehem  took 
place.  Herod  the  Great  effected  some  material  im¬ 
provements  in  his  kingdom,  the  chief  of  which  was 
the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  which  he  undertook  in 
order  to  gain,  at  least  in  part,  the  good  will  of 
the  Jews. 

Among  the  distinguished  Jewish  men  of  this  period 
were  Hillel  and  Shammai,  probably  some  of  the  prom¬ 
inent  rabbis  at  Christ’s  time.  Gamaliel,  the  great 
scholar,  was  a  grandson  of  Hillel,  and  also  his  suc¬ 
cessor  as  president  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  the  in¬ 
structor  of  St.  Paul.  A  new  sect  called  the  Essenes 
had  arisen  among  the  Jews.  They  seem  to  have  had 
more  of  the  spirit  of  true  religion  than  either  of  the 
two  existing  sects,  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees. 

With  the  death  of  Mariamne  the  tragic  end  of  the 
second  dynasty  of  Jewish  kings  had  arrived.  The 
ancient  capital  had  a  mournful  aspect.  The  palace 
of  Herod  stood  where  king  David  had  dwelt.  Roman 
chariots  rolled  through  the  streets  where  David  and 
Josiah  were  wont  to  greet  the  people.  The  cruelty 
of  the  Idumaean  king  and  the  shrewdness  of  the 
Roman  governor  took  the  place  of  the  fatherly  ben¬ 
evolence  of  the  kings  of  old.  Even  the  language  was 
not  the  same.  The  Hebrew  spoken  is  intermingled 
with  a  Syriac  and  Chaldee  dialect.  The  military 
men  with  the  stern  countenances  speak  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  distant  Rome.  The  Sanhedrin  still  has  con¬ 
trol  over  matters  religious,  but  where  is  the  spirit 
of  the  old  kings  and  the  prophets  of  Jehovah?  The 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


191 


outward  appearance  of  the  temple  had  no  doubt 
been  improved  by  the  wealth  and  splendor  which 
Herod  had  spent  on  it.  The  long  colonnades  and 
columns  of  purest  marble,  the  precious  coverings 
and  hangings  no  doubt  reminded  somewhat  of  form¬ 
er  days,  however,  were  not  money  changers  and 
sellers  of  doves  giving  the  whole  a  mercantile  aspect 
instead  of  that  of  the  house  of  prayer?  The  high 
priests,  it  is  true,  were  still  there,  but  did  not  they, 
along  with  the  rest  of  the  people,  have  to  bow  their 
knee  to  the  government  of  the  foreign  legions? 
Were  they  not  deprived  of  the  possibility  of  render¬ 
ing  the  greatest  possible  service  to  the  people?  The 
salutations  and  the  wisdom  of  the  formal  precise 
men,  with  the  broad  phylacteries,  who  made  long 
prayers  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  or  were  carry¬ 
ing  their  tithes  to  the  temple,  did  not  they  and  all 
this  appear  as  the  blossom  which  had  come  to  its 
last  stages  of  beauty  and  development,  making 
room  for  the  fruit? 

With  great  significance  did  the  writers  of  the 
Gospels  and  the  Epistles  refer  to  the  period  when 
Christ  was  born  as  the  “fulfilment  of  time.”  Old 
things  of  past  glory  had  faded  away,  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  prophet  had  disappeared,  there  was  no  longer 
any  message  or  mission.  The  day  of  the  New  Cov¬ 
enant,  the  KA1NE  DIATHEKE  was  at  hand. 

Roman  rule  was  a  great  factor  for  the  spread  of 
the  new  religion.  Unity  and  intercourse  made  pos¬ 
sible  travel,  and  the  highways  on  land  and  sea  were 
comparatively  safe.  Equally  important  was  the 
Grecian  world  of  thought  and  culture.  Greek  was 
the  language  of  the  west.  The  Roman  conquerors 


192 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


learned  from  their  captives  their  language,  phil¬ 
osophy  and  art.  Greek  was  also  the  language  of 
the  east,  for  Alexander  had  carried  Greek  culture 
into  the  vast  dominions  of  his  reign.  Thus  the 
Greek  language  became  a  useful  vehicle  for  St.  Paul, 
and  the  writers  of  the  Gospels,  as  well  as  the  writers 
of  the  other  Epistles  who  employed  this  means  of 
communicating. 

The  dispersion  of  the  Jews  over  the  whole  then 
known  world,  likewise  was  a  contributary  factor 
to  the  progress  of  Christianity.  For  every  Jewish 
synagogue,  as  a  centre  of  religious  influence,  was  a 
centre  from  which  Paul  endeavored  first  to  scatter 
the  blessings  of  his  message  upon  the  Gentile  world. 
Although  there  existed  considerable  prejudice 
against  the  Jew,  his  high  moral  ideas  must  have 
proven  attractive  to  many  truth  seekers.  The  Old 
Testament  became  also  in  this  manner  the  prepara¬ 
tory  blossom  preceding  the  fruit. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


XLII 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  MATTHEW1 

Title 

No  title  is  given  in  the  book  itself.  The  title  as 
it  is  found  today  does  not  come  from  the  hand  of 
the  author,  but  from  some  later  scribe. 

Authorship 

Not  much  can  be  learned  about  the  author  from 
the  Gospel  itself.  However,  certain  characteristics 
and  the  point  of  view  taken  would  confirm  the  ex¬ 
isting  tradition,  that  Matthew  is  the  author  of  this 
work.  It  is  apparent  that  the  writer  employed  other 
sources  in  this  composition  in  addition  to  what  he 
had  heard  alid  seen.  These  sources  have  been 
thought  to  consist  in  the  historical  frame  work,  the 
discourses  of  the  Master,  referred  to  by  Eusebius, 
Philo,  Clement  of  Rome  and  Polycarp,  and  the 
source  mentioned  by  Luke  in  the  introduction  of  his 
gospel.  The  internal  evidence  indicates  that  the 
author  was  a  Jewish  Christian.  He  shows  him¬ 
self  well  acquainted  with  the  geography  of  Pales¬ 
tine,  with  Jewish  history  and  ideas.  He  reveals  a 
remarkable  familiarity  with  the  law  and  the  pro¬ 
phets  and  betrays  strong  convictions  from  the  Jew¬ 
ish  point  of  view.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  our 
writer  is  a  Jew  by  nationality,  and  education;  but 
he  is  also  a  Christian.  The  external  evidence  for 
the  authorship  of  this  gospel  lies  in  its  title  which 
appears  in  the  manuscripts  as  EUAGGELION 
KATA  MATHTHAION,  the  Gospel  according  to 

iFor  original  texts  of  this  and  the  following  books,  see 
section  on  manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament. 


196 


BIBLE  STUIDES 


Matthew.  The  Fathers  have  constantly  held  the 
opinion  that  Matthew  was  the  author,  sometimes 
calling  him  the  Publican.  That  he  wrote  in  Aramaic 
seems  to  have  been  generally  considered  certain  by 
the  early  church.  But  a  Greek  Gospel  according  to 
Matthew  is  known  already  at  the  time  of  Polycarp, 
110  A.  D. 

The  time  of  writing  cannot  be  determined  with 
any  certainty.  According  to  the  fathers  it  origin¬ 
ated  during  the  years  64-70  A.  D.  It  was  known  as 
early  as  79  A.  D.,  as  is  evident  from  the  Epistle  of 
Barnabas. 

That  the  writer  had  in  mind  chiefly  Jewish  Chris¬ 
tians  may  be  inferred  from  the  whole  tone  of  his 
discourse.  The  purpose  in  view  was  undoubtedly 
the  desire  to  show,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the 
promised  Messiah,  the  fulfillment  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy,  the  direct  descendant  from  David,  and  the 
long  expected  founder  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
It  is  thirty-two  times  that  the  phrase  “kingdom  of 
heaven”  occurs  in  this  book.  The  ancient  idea  that 
Israel  should  be  a  “kingdom  of  priests”  unto  the 
Lord  finds  its  full  completion  in  the  fact  that  Israel 
and  the  world  of  believers  as  a  whole  were  now  to 
be  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  ruled  over  by  God 
himself.  It  may  be  assumed  that  Matthew,  or  Levi, 
is  the  same  as  the  one  mentioned  in  Matthew  9,9, 
Mark  2,14,  Luke  5,27,  and  possibly  also  the  publican 
in  Matthew  10,3.  The  son  of  Alphaeus  probably 
born  in  Galilee  had  entered  the  service  of  the  Roman 
government  and  had  held  the  much  despised  posi¬ 
tion  of  a  taxgatherer.  But  one  day  he  heard  his 
Master’s  call,  he  left  all  and  followed  him.  Up  till 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


197 


Pentecost  his  history  is  that  of  the  greater  number 
of  the  apostles.  After  that  he  labored  among  the 
Jews  of  the  Holy  Land.  When  the  gospel  did  not 
seem  to  find  a  welcome  here  any  longer  he  directed 
his  attention  to  the  Jewish  Christians  of  other  lands. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-4.  Christ’s  Preparation. 

5-9.  His  Words  and  Works. 

10-14.  Beginning  of  Misunderstandings. 

15-20.  Christ  Prepares  His  Disciples. 

21-25.  The  Last  Teachings  in  the  Temple. 

26-28.  Christ’s  Suffering,  Death,  and  Res¬ 
urrection. 

Found  in  Matthew  only  are :  the  story  of  the  wise 
men  from  the  East ;  the  slaying  of  children  at  Beth¬ 
lehem,  (2)  ;  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  ser¬ 
mon  on  the  mount,  which  enunciates  the  ethical 
principles  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  (5-7)  ;  of  the 
unforgiving  servants  (18)  ;  the  laborers  in  the  vine¬ 
yard  (20)  ;  the  sayings  against  the  Pharisees  (23)  ; 
the  parables  of  the  last  judgment  and  the  ten  vir¬ 
gins  (24-25)  ;  the  end  of  Judas  (27)  ;  and  the  guards 
at  the  tomb  (27,28). 

Chapt.  1.  The  genealogy  of  Jesus  is  traced  back 
to  David  and  Abraham,  and  his  birth  takes  place. 

2.  The  Magi1  worship  Christ,  the  holy  family  flees 
to  Egypt  fulfilling  the  prophecy.  The  children  of 
Bethlehem  are  slain ;  the  holy  family  leaves  Egypt 
and  moves  to  Nazareth,  fulfilling  the  prophecy. 

3.  John  the  Baptist  preaches  repentance  and 
Jesus  is  baptized. 

tradition  calls  the  Magi,  kings,  naming  them  Caspar, 
Melchior,  Balthazar. 


198 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


4.  Jesus  is  tempted  in  the  wilderness  and  begins 
his  work  in  Galilee.  His  fame  is  widespread.  He 
begins  to  preach  and  calls  four  to  evangelistic  work. 

5-7.  The  sermon  on  the  mount  is  delivered.  The 
citizens  of  the  new  kingdom  are  acclaimed  blessed. 
The  relationship  of  the  disciples  to  the  world  is 
made  clear.  A  new  explanation  is  given  the  ten 
commandments.  Almsgiving,  prayer,  fasting,  gath¬ 
ering  of  treasures,  needless  cares,  and  the  wide  and 
the  narrow  gate  are  given  consideration.  The  ser¬ 
mon  closes  with  a  warning  against  false  prophets 
and  a  comparison  of  the  hearer  with  a  house  built 
on  sand  or  rock,  respectively.  The  people  are 
amazed  at  his  doctrine. 

8.  A  leper  is  cleansed.  The  centurion’s  servant 
receives  healing.  Peter’s  wife’s  mother  is  restored 
to  health.  The  tempestuous  waves  are  bidden  to  be 
still.  The  Gadarene  demoniacs  go  into  a  herd  of 
swine. 

9.  A  paralytic  is  healed  and  receives  remission  of 
sins.  Matthew  is  called.  Jairus’  daughter  is  raised 
from  the  dead.  Two  blind  men  receive  their  sight. 
Proclamation  is  made  in  regard  to  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

10.  The  twelve  are  sent  forth  and  instructions 
given  them. 

11.  Jesus  answers  John’s  cpiestion.  The  Jews  are 
rebuked. 

12.  Jesus  defends  his  disciples.  He  heals  on  a 
Sabbath.  He  is  charged  with  being  in  league  with 
Satan. 

13.  Seven  parables  in  regard  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  are  told.  The  sower  and  his  seed,  the  tares, 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


199 


the  mustard  seed,  the  leaven,  the  hidden  treasure, 
the  pearl  of  great  price,  and  the  dragnet  illustrate 
various  truths  in  regard  to  the  kingdom.  The  op¬ 
position  of  the  Pharisees  is  increasing. 

14.  John  the  Baptist  dies  in  prison.  Five  thous¬ 
and  are  fed.  Jesus  walks  on  the  water.  Other 
sick  are  healed. 

15.  The  Pharisees  criticize  the  Master.  The  Can- 
aanitish  woman  has  faith  in  him.  Four  thousand 
are  fed  and  satisfied. 

16.  Jesus  is  rejected  by  the  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees.  Peter  makes  a  confession.  Jesus  speaks  of 
his  suffering,  death  and  resurrection. 

17.  In  the  transfiguration  Jesus  is  declared  the 
son  of  God.  An  epileptic  boy  is  healed  and  the 
tax  is  paid. 

18.  Humility  as  well  as  forgiveness  are  virtues  of 
the  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  parable 
of  the  unforgiving  servant  is  told. 

19.  The  journey  through  Perea  to  Jerusalem  be¬ 
gins.  A  discourse  regarding  divorce  is  reported. 
Little  children  receive  a  blessing.  The  rich  young 
man  is  instructed  concerning  eternal  life,  and  the 
rewards  of  discipleship  are  eunmerated. 

20.  The  parable  of  the  laborers  in  the  vineyard 
is  related.  James  and  John  are  told  to  be  humble. 
Two  blind  men  receive  their  sight. 

21.  The  closing  of  Christ’s  ministry  at  Jerusalem 
is  near.  Triumphantly  he  enters  the  holy  city.  The 
temple  is  cleansed.  The  Jews  are  warned  in  the 
parable  of  the  two  sons  and  the  wicked  husbandmen. 

22.  The  parable  of  the  marriage  feast  is  given  as 
an  answer  to  the  wickedness  of  the  Jews.  The  ques- 


200 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


tion  of  paying  tribute,  about  the  resurrection,  the 
greatest  commandment,  and  concerning  Christ  is 
answered. 

23.  Jesus’  great  discourse  against  the  Pharisees  is 
recorded. 

24-25.  A  prophecy  concerning  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  last  judgment  is  uttered  by  Jesus. 
Parables  of  the  ten  virgins  and  of  the  talents  are 
told. 

26.  The  rulers  conspire  against  Christ.  Judas 
sells  him.  The  Holy  Supper  Is  instituted.  The  dis¬ 
ciples  are  warned.  Prayer  and  agony  in  Gethsemane 
is  witnessed  by  three  of  the  disciples.  Jesus  is  ar¬ 
rested  and  led  to  the  high  priest  Caiaphas.  Peter 
basely  denies  him. 

27.  The  trial  proceeds  before  Pilate.1  Judas  com¬ 
mits  suicide.  Pilate  is  admonished  by  his  wife.2 
Barrabas  at  the  request  of  the  multitude  is  freed 
and  Jesus  is  condemned  to  death  by  crucifixion.  The 
decree  is  executed.  Death  on  the  cross  follows. 
Burial  takes  place  and  a  watch  is  set  at  his  grave. 
Various  supernatural  signs  are  observed  in  the  city. 

28.  Jesus  triumphs  over  his  enemies,  and  commis¬ 
sions  his  disciples  to  conquer  all  the  world  for  him. 

dilate  was  Roman  Procurator  of  Judea  and  Samaria 
from  26-32  A.  D.  By  his  contemporaries  he  is  pictured  as 
cruel,  and  open  to  bribe.  He  is  said  to  have  committed 
suicide. 

2Tradition  calls  Pilate’s  wife  Claudia  Procula,  and  it  is 
said  that  she  was  a  Jewish  proselyte. 


XLIII 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  MARK 


Title 

Mark’s  is  the  shortest  of  the  four  Gospels,  and 
like  St.  Matthew’s  it  contains  in  itself  no  reference 
or  statement.  The  ancient  manuscripts  with  great 
uniformity  bear  the  title  EUAGGELION  KATA 
MARKON,  Gospel  according  to  Mark. 

Authorship 

As  in  the  case  of  Matthew  it  will  be  necessary  to 
consider  the  evidence  which  the  book  itself  fur¬ 
nishes.  Indications  are  that  the  author  is  either  a 
Palestinian  himself  or  that  he  presents  a  narrative 
of  Palestinian  source.  The  times,  details,  places, 
circumstances,  are  vividly  portrayed.  In  a  few 
passages  he  employed  Aramaic  terms,  but  each  time 
takes  pains  to  explain  them.  Quotations  from  the 
Old  Testament  are  almost  absent  and  it  is  possible 
that  he  either  was  no  Jew  or  that  he  was  writing  for 
non-Jewish  Christians.  Tradition  ascribed  the  work 
to  John,  whose  surname  was  Mark,  and  no  weighty 
reasons  have  been  advanced  to  refute  this  assump¬ 
tion.  Assuming  then  that  John,  whose  surname 
was  Mark,  was  the  writer  of  this  Gospel,  the  follow¬ 
ing  particulars  regarding  his  person  may  be  given. 
He  was  the  son  of  Mary  whose'  house  in  Jerusalem 
became  the  home  of  many  early  Christians  (Acts 
12,12).  It  is  probable  that  the  happening  related  by 
him  in  Chapt.  14,51-52  was  his  own  experience.  The 
action  corresponds  to  what  we  know  of  his  char¬ 
acter.  He  seems  to  have  been  warm-hearted,  but 
timid  and  impulsive.  In  Acts  13,5  he  appears,  ac- 


202 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


companying  Paul  and  Barnabas  on  their  first  Mis¬ 
sionary  Journey.  When  they  reached  Perga  in 
Pamphylia,  John  Mark  left  them  and  returned  to 
Jerusalem.  If  an  unworthy  motive  induced  him  to 
forsake  the  Apostles  he  soon  recovered,  for  not  long 
after  he  is  again  found  in  the  company  of  Barnabas, 
and  when  Paul  was  imprisoned  at  Rome,  Mark  had 
again  become  a  “ consolation”  to  him.  Peter  also 
refers  to  Mark  in  his  letters  as  “Markus  my  son.” 
It  is  not  unlikely,  since  Mark  is  known  among  the 
fathers  as  being  the  interpreter  of  Peter  that  Mark 
wrote  this  Gospel  under  Peter’s  direction.  The 
characteristics  of  the  book,  the  concise,  brief,  pow¬ 
erful  manner  in  which  facts  are  presented,  and  the 
general  conception  of  the  Lord  of  Glory  as  seen  in 
this  work,  certainly  confirm  this  view.  Chapter 
16,9-20  has  been  disputed  as  to  its  genuineness,  be¬ 
cause  it  is  not  found  in  some  ancient  manuscripts, 

and  differs  in  stvle  and  vocabularv  from  the  rest  of 

*/ 

the  book.  It  may  be  a  later  addition  by  Mark.  The 
abruptness  of  the  conclusion  of  this  book  would  in¬ 
deed  be  very  striking  if  the  writer  had  closed  with 
the  8th  verse  of  the  16th  chapter.  Mark  has  a  habit 
of  condensing  as  is  manifested  also  in  the  fact  that 
he  disposes  very  briefly  of  the  first  years  of  Christ’s 
ministry.  The  authenticity  of  this  passage  seems 
irresistible.  With  Mark,  scene  is  rapidly  followed 
by  scene,  and  the  word  “  straightway  ”  EUTHEOS, 
appears  forty-two  times.  The  title  expresses  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  work.  “The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
THE  SON  OF  GOD.”  The  writer  aims  to  present 
him  as  the  LORD  OF  GLORY,  full  of  power.  The 
mighty  deeds  of  Christ  and  the  powerful  miracles 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


203 


stand  out  very  prominently.  The  Latin  terms  found 
here  indicate  that  Mark  was  familiar  with  Latin, 
and  possibly  wrote  the  Gospel  at  Rome  for  the 
Romans.  From  the  writings  of  Papias  it  is  seen  that 
Mark’s  Gospel  was  known  in  the  province  of  Asia 
about  75-100  A.  D.  As  the  oldest  of  the  four  Gos¬ 
pels  it  may  have  been  written  between  60-70  A.  D. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-13.  Preparation  of  Jesus  for  Public 
Work. 

1,14-9.  The  Galilean  Ministry. 

10- 16.  The  Journey  from  Galilee  to  Judea. 

11- 13.  The  Ministry  in  Jerusalem. 

14-16.  Suffering,  Death  and  Resurrection  of  Jesus. 

Peculiar  to  Mark  are :  the  parable  of  the  growing 
of  the  seed  (4)  ;  the  healing  of  a  deaf  mute  (7)  ; 
and  a  blind  man  at  Bethsaida  (8)  ;  the  flight  of  a 
young  man  the  night  when  Christ  was  arrested  (13). 

Chapt.  1.  John  the  Baptist  preaches  repentance. 
Jesus  is  baptized,  and  tempted  in  the  wilderness.  He 
begins  preaching  in  Galilee  and  calls  four  fishermen. 
He  spends  the  Sabbath  in  Capernaum  and  tours 
Galilee,  preaching. 

2.  A  paralytic  is  healed  and  his  sins  are  forgiven. 
Levi  is  called.  Jesus  answers  a  question  con¬ 
cerning  fasting  and  the  Sabbath. 

3.  A  withered  hand  is  healed.  Many  miracles 
are  performed. 

4.  The  parables  of  the  growth  of  the  kingdom  are 
told  and  the  sea  is  stilled. 

5.  The  demoniac  is  healed  and  Jairus’  daughter 
raised. 


204 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


6.  Jesus  is  rejected  at  Nazareth.  Twelve  apostles 
are  sent  forth.  John  dies  in  prison.  Five  thousand 
are  fed.  Jesus  walks  on  the  water.  Many  are  healed. 

7.  Jesus  rebukes  the  Pharisees.  The  Syrophoeni- 
cian  woman’s  daughter  is  healed,  as  also  the  deaf 
and  dumb  man. 

8.  Four  thousand  are  fed.  A  blind  man  is  healed 
near  Bethsaida.  Peter  makes  his  confession  and 
Jesus  predicts  his  death. 

9.  The  transfiguration  takes  place.  A  demoniac 
boy  is  healed.  Again  Jesus  foretells  his  death  and 
resurrection. 

10.  He  departs  from  Galilee  to  Perea,  blesses  little 
children,  discourses  with  the  rich  young  man. 
James  and  John  are  ambitious  and  reproved.  The 
blind  man  near  Jericho  is  healed. 

11.  At  the  occasion  of  the  triumphant  entry  Jesus 
is  saluted  as  the  Messiah.  He  curses  the  fig  tree  and 
cleanses  the  temple.  Conflicts  with  the  Jewish 
leaders  begin. 

12.  Jesus  discourses  with  the  Jews  and  comments 
on  the  widow’s  mite. 

13.  Prophecies  regarding  the  fall  of  Jerusalem 
are  related. 

14.  The  Jews  plot  against  Jesus;  he  is  anointed  in 
the  house  of  Simon  the  leper.  Judas  bargains  with 
the  Jews.  The  Passover  is  instituted.  Jesus  agon¬ 
izes  in  Gethsemane,  is  betrayed,  arrested  and  tried 
before  the  Jewish  council.  Peter  denies  his  Master. 

15.  Pilate  condemns  Jesus,  he  is  crucified,  dies 
and  is  buried. 

16.  Jesus  arises,  appears  to  the  disciples,  gives  his 
last  commission,  and  ascends  into  heaven. 


XLIV 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  LUKE 


Title 

“For  as  much  as  many  have  taken  in  hand  to 
draw  up  a  narrative  concerning  these  matters  which 
have  been  fulfilled  among  us,  even  as  they  delivered 
them  unto  us  who  from  the  beginning  were  eye¬ 
witnesses  and  ministers  of  the  word,  it  seemed  good 
to  me  also,  having  traced  the  course  of  all  things 
accurately  from  the  first,  to  write  unto  thee  in 
order,  most  excellent  Theophilus,  that  thou  mightest 
know  the  certainty  concerning  the  things  wherein 
thou  wast  instructed.”  Thus  the  author  opens  his 
book  and  furnishes  a  wealth  of  information  bearing 
on  his  Gospel  as  well  as  on  other  writings.  While 
admitting  the  value  of  the  records  to  which  he  re¬ 
fers  he  seems  to  feel  that  there  was  left  something 
still  to  be  desired.  After  a  careful  investigation  he 
presents  to  Theophilus  the  results  of  his  efforts  in 
order  that  this  one  might  know  the  certainty  con¬ 
cerning  these  things.  The  ancient  manuscripts  uni¬ 
formly  bear  the  title  EUAGGELION  KATA  LOUK- 
AN,  Gospel  according  to  Luke. 

Authorship 

The  third  synoptical  Gospel  is  the  most  carefully 
composed  of  the  three  divinely  inspired  stories  of 
the  Redeemer.  The  writer  apparently  is  not  of 
Jewish  origin,  for  his  horizon  is  wider,  embracing 
the  whole  human  race  from  Adam  down  to  the 
youth  with  the  Greek  name,  Theophilus.  Yet  he 
had  a  general  knowledge  of  Palestine  and  was  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  Biblical  sources  then  existing. 


206 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


The  preface  is  written  in  excellent  idiomatic 
Greek ;  the .  infancy  section,  however,  is  very  dis¬ 
tinctly  Hebraistic  in  character,  while  the  remainder 
resembles  the  other  Gospels.  Possibly  he  was  a 
Gentile  proselyte  to  Judaism.  The  identity  is  not 
absolutely  certain.  There  are,  however,  certain  fac¬ 
tors  which  establish  a  relationship  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  Acts.  These  two  books  undoubtedly  have  the 
same  author.  This  author  seems  to  have  been  a 
companion  of  Paul  on  his  Missionary  Journeys,  and 
the  writer  of  the  “we”  section  is  likely  the  author 
of  the  whole  book.  Where  in  his  record  the  first 
person  pronoun  is  absent  it  may  be  assumed  that 
here  he  is  relating  what  he  heard  from  others.  He 
was  a  physician  as  may  be  gathered  from  Col.  4,14. 
His  home  probably  was  Antioch.  He  appears  as 
the  companion  of  Paul  on  his  second  Missionary 
Journey  (Acts  16,10).  When  Paul  was  imprisoned 
at  Ceasarea  and  Rome,  Luke,  though  not  as  a  pris¬ 
oner,  is  found  at  his  side.  (Acts  20-28;  Col.  4,14; 
Philemon  24;  2  Timothy  4,11).  Theophylact  and 

others  believed  that  Luke  was  one  of  the  two 
disciples  who  met  the  risen  Lord  on  the  way  to 
Emmaus.  Epiphanius  held  that  he  was  one  of  the 
seventy  disciples.  Some  also  claim  that  Luke  was  a 
painter,  but  this  assertion,  however,  dates  back  only 
to  the  10th  century  and  is  very  uncertain.  A  num¬ 
ber  of  writers  relate  that  Luke  finally  suffered 
martyrdom. 

Summing  up  all,  this  much  is  certain,  that  accord¬ 
ing  to  universal  tradition,  based  on  the  allusions  made 
to  him  in  the  Scriptures  and  other  historical  evidence, 
Luke  is  the  author  of  the  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  of 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


207 


the  Apostles.  The  Gospel  was  written  for  Gentile 
readers,  for  there  is  a  notable  absence  of  Hebrew 
words,  and  a  few  geographical  notes  suggest  (3,4; 
8,26;  19,29)  that  the  readers  were  not  Palestinians. 
The  whole  tenor  is  of  a  general  character.  Jesus  is  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  Paul’s  influence  in  the  uni¬ 
versal  conception  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  prevailing 
in  this  book,  is  marked.  For  this  reason  Luke’s 
Gospel  has  frequently  been  termed  the  Gospel 
of  Paul.1  The  time  of  writing  has  been  put  by 
Irenaeus  as  near  the  year  70  A.  D.  Others  have 
placed  it  somewhat  earlier,  in  the  years  64-66  A.  D. 

The  number  of  stories  and  narrations  found  in 
Luke  only,  is  quite  large.  There  are :  the  prologue 
(1,1-4)  ;  annunciation  and  birth  of  John  the  Baptist, 
the  circumcision  and  presentation  of  Jesus  in  the 
temple  (1,5-2)  ;  the  raiding  from  the  dead  of  the 
young  man  of  Nain  (7)  ;  the  sending  forth  of  the 
seventy  disciples  (10)  ;  the  visit  with  Mary  and 
Martha  (10)  ;  the  parables  of  the  good  Samaritan 
(10)  ;  the  lost  sheep,  coin  and  the  prodigal  son  (15)  ; 
the  unrighteous  steward  (16)  ;  Dives  and  Lazarus 
(16)  ;  the  cleansing  of  the  ten  lepers  (17)  ;  the 
Pharisee  and  Publican  (18)  ;  Zacchaeus  (19)  ;  Christ 
before  Herod  (23)  ;  the  story  of  the  two  disciples 
journeying  towards  Emmaus  (24). 

Division 

1,1-4.  Prologue. 

1,5-3.  Preparatory  History. 

4-9,50.  Galilean  Ministry. 

9,51-19,28.  The  Journey  to  Jerusalem. 

iComp.  the  report  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord’s  Supper 
in  Luke  22,19  fg.  with  1  Cor.  11,23-25. 


208 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


19,29-24.  Death,  Resurrection  and  Ascension. 

Chapt.  1.  Prologue.  The  birth  of  John  the  Bap¬ 
tist  is  announced  and  takes  place.  The  birth  of 
Jesus  also  is  announced. 

2.  Jesus  is  born.1  Angels  and  shepherds  cele¬ 
brate  this  event.  The  presentation  in  the  temple 
and  the  childhood  and  youth  of  Jesus  is  described. 

3.  John  the  Baptist  appears  and  testifies  in  re¬ 
gard  to  Jesus,  who  is  baptized.  The  genealogy  of 
Jesus  is  presented. 

4.  Jesus  is  tempted,  opens  his  ministry  in  Galilee 
and  heals  the  sick. 

5.  Four  disciples  are  called,  a  leper  is  healed,  the 
paralytic  restored,  and  Levi  converted,  makes  a 
feast  for  the  Master  at  his  home. 

6.  Jesus  defends  his  disciples,  heals  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath,  calls  the  twelve  and  preaches  on  the  mountain. 

7.  The  centurion’s  servant  is  healed,  the  widow’s 
son  at  Nain  is  raised.  John  the  Baptist  sends  a 
message  to  Christ.  Jesus  is  anointed  in  the  house 
of  Simon. 

8.  Jesus  teaches  in  parables,  stills  the  tempest, 
heals  the  demoniac,  and  raises  the  daughter  of 
Jairus. 

9.  The  twelve  are  sent  forth,  five  thousand  are 
fed,  Peter  makes  a  confession  and  Jesus  foretells  his 
suffering  and  death.  He  is  transfigured.  The 

^Evidence  of  papyri  recently  discovered  in  Egypt  con¬ 
firms  the  record  of  Luke  concerning  the  census  which 
Emperor  Augustus  ordered  throughout  his  empire.  Con¬ 
fer:  Grenfell  and  Hunt,  Oxyrhynchus  Papyri,  Part  I,  pp. 
207-14-  The  date  of  the  birth  of  Christ  must  provisionally 
be  assigned  to  the  year  7  B.  C.  For  fuller  discussion  see: 
Burton,  Short  Introduction  to  the  Gospels,  pp.  67-79; 
Sanday  in  Hastings  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  Vol.  II  pp  645f. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


209 


disciples  jealous  of  one  another  are  rebuked.  Jesus 
departs  from  Galilee. 

10.  The  seventy  disciples  are  sent  forth.  The 
parable  of  the  good  Samaritan  is  related.  Jesus  is 
entertained  in  the  home  of  Mary  and  Martha. 

11.  Jesus  teaches,  casts  out  demons  and  utters 
woes  against  the  Pharisees. 

12.  Warnings  against  hypocricy  and  covetousness. 

13.  Pilate  slays  the  Galileans.  A  woman  is  healed 
on  the  Sabbath.  Jesus  discourses  on  Herod. 

14.  Jesus  teaches  at  the  table  of  a  Pharisee  in 
different  parables. 

15.  The  parables  of  the  lost  sheep,  coin,  and  the 
prodigal  son,  are  related. 

16.  The  parables  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  and  the 
unjust  steward  are  told. 

17.  Jesus  speaks  concerning  forgiveness,  offences 
and  faith.  Ten  lepers  are  healed. 

18.  The  parable  of  the  judge  and  the  widow,  the 
Pharisee  and  Publican  is  told.  Little  children  are 
blessed.  The  rich  young  ruler  interviews  the 
Master.  Jesus  again  predicts  his  crucifixion  and 
heals  a  blind  man  near  Jericho. 

19.  Zacchaeus  receives  a  visit.  Jesus  enters 
Jerusalem,  cleanses  the  temple,  and  weeps  over  the 
wicked  city. 

20.  Jesus  discourses  with  the  Jews  and  teaches  in 
the  temple.  He  tells  the  parable  of  the  wicked  hus¬ 
bandmen.  He  also  admonishes  to  give  Caesar  the 
things  of  Caesar,  and  God  the  things  of  God.  He 
pronounces  woes  over  the  Pharisees. 

21.  The  widow’s  mite  is  noted  by  Jesus.  The  de- 


210 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


struction  of  the  temple  and  city  is  prophesied  and 
the  last  judgment  is  pictured. 

22.  Judas  sells  his  Master.  The  Last  Supper  is 
instituted.  Jesus  discourses  with  his  disciples, 
passes  through  the  agony  in  Gethsemane  and  is  ar¬ 
rested.  Peter  denies  his  Master.  Jesus  is  tried  be¬ 
fore  the  Jewish  authorities  and  condemned. 

23.  The  trial  continues  before  the  governor, 
Pilate.  Judgment  is  pronounced  and  the  crucifixion 
takes  place.  Women  weep.  One  of  the  two  thieves 
crucified  also  expresses  his  faith  in  Christ.  Jesus 
dies  and  is  buried  in  Joseph’s  garden. 

24.  The  resurrection  takes  place.  The  tomb  is 
found  empty  by  the  women.  On  the  same  day  the 
risen  Lord  appears  to  the  two  disciples  on  the  road 
to  Emmaus,  also  to  the  eleven  at  Jerusalem.  After 
having  led  the  disciples  “to  Bethany  and  after  hav¬ 
ing  blessed  them  he  was  parted  from  them  and 
carried  up  to  heaven.” 


XLV 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  JOHN 

Title 

The  manuscripts  give  this  Gospel  the  title  EUAG- 
GELION  KATA  IOANEN,  Gospel  according  to 
John,  or  equivalent  phrase. 

Authorship 

The  work  itself  indicates  that  the  writer  was  of 
Jewish  nationality.  He  is  familiar  with  Jewish 
customs,  ideas,  feasts  and  the  Hebrew  language. 
His  style  of  writing  is  not  classical  Greek,  although 
this  tongue  was  used.  It  plainly  shows  Hebraistic 
influences  in  the  non-periodic  sentences,  which  flow 
from  the  pen  in  a  very  simple  manner  so  unlike 
classic  Greek.  Though  a  Jew,  he  is  notwithstanding 
a  Christian,  for  the  prologue  and  many  paragraphs 
in  the  work  see  in  Jesus  the  LOGOS  the  Word,  the 
only  means  of  a  full,  perfect  revelation  of  God  to 
man.  When  the  writer  speaks  of  events,  he  con¬ 
stantly  asserts  that  he  was  an  eye-witness  who  re¬ 
corded  what  he  had  heard  and  seen.  This,  however, 
does  not  yet  clearly  indicate  the  personality  of  the 
writer.  Definite  testimony  that  the  fourth  Gospel 
comes  from  John’s  pen  reaches  us  not  earlier  than 
the  last  half  of  the  second  century.  Theophilus 
(Ad.  Autolycuin,  11,22),  Irenaeus  (Adv.  Haer.  111,1) 
expressly  mentions  “  John,  the  disciple  of  the  Lord, 
who  published  a  Gospel.”  The  text  itself,  when  re¬ 
ferring  to  John,  uses  the  title:  “the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved.”  These  facts  have  rightly  led  the 
early  church  to  ascribe  the  present  work  to  John, 
the  Apostle  of  Love,  one  of  the  twelve  disciples. 


212 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


The  whole  book  bears  the  stamp  of  the  earnest, 
loving  son  of  Zebedee.1  Love  has  a  keen  memory. 
John  still  remembers  the  words  spoken  by  him  who 
had  enraptured  his  whole  being.  He  still  recalls  the 
various  sayings  of  his  fellow  disciples  at  various 
occasions.  The  gentle  flow  of  beautiful  words 
breathing  the  most  tender  affections,  harmonize 
wonderfully  with  a  character  such  as  John. 

Frequently'  occurring  words  are:  “believe”  98 
times;  “know”  55;  “witness”  55;  “world”  78; 
“glory”  55;  “life,  live”  about  50;  “light”  23; 
“truth”  25;  “name”  25.  John  stands  in  contrast 
to  the  synoptists  without  a  contradiction.  His 
chronology  is  more  complete  and  he  devotes  special 
attention  to  the  dwelling  of  Christ  in  Jerusalem. 
The  kingdom  of  God  of  the  synoptist  finds  with 
John  its  centre  in  the  beloved  Master  himself  who  is 
shown  in  the  pictures  of  LOGOS  (word),  PHOS 
(light),  POIMEN  (shepherd).  The  chief  question 
with  the  apostle  of  love  is  “Who  Is  Christ?”  He  is 
“God’s  only  begotten  Son,”  “the  Centre  of  the 
World,”  “the  Word  made  Flesh.”  From  the 
earliest  times  this  Gospel  has  been  called  the  “Spir¬ 
itual  Gospel.”  It  was  probably  written  about  80 
A.  D.  in  the  last  days  of  the  Apostle.  The  Gospel 
was  perhaps  intended  to  oppose  certain  conceptions 
of  God  and  the  world,  related  to  those  of  the  Gnos¬ 
tics,  and  at  the  same  time  to  set  forth  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Son  of  God,  Redeemer  of  the  world. 

tThe  author  is  well  aware  of  the  various  hypotheses 
offered  by  different  critics,  as  to  authorship  of  this  Gos¬ 
pel.  However,  for  the  purpose  in  view,  it  will  be  impos¬ 
sible  to  enter  into  the  details  of  discussions  of  that  type. 
Suffice  it  to  accept  the  internal  and  external  evidence 
for  the  authenticity  of  this  Gospel. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


213 


Division 

Chapt.  1,1-18.  Prologue. 

1,19-4.  The  Rise  of  the  New  Light. 

5-12.  The  Conflict  Between  the  Light  and  Dark¬ 
ness. 

13-20.  The  Apparent  Victory  of  Darkness. 

21.  Appendix. 

Chapt.  1.  The  Prologue.  The  grand  beginning  of 
all  things,  akin  in  phraseology  to  the  beginning  of 
Genesis  is  described.  John  testifies  in  regard  to 
Christ. 

2.  Jesus  is  in  Galilee  at  the  wedding  of  Cana,  and 
goes  to  Jerusalem  for  the  Passover.  He  cleanses 
the  temple. 

3.  Nicodemus  receives  instructions  in  regard  to 
the  new  birth.  John  again  testifies  about  Jesus. 

4.  Jesus  reveals  himself  to  the  Samaritan  woman 
and  heals  the  sick. 

5.  An  impotent  man  is  healed  at  the  pool  Beth- 
esda.  This  raises  the  Sabbath  question  and  the 
Jews  threaten  to  kill  him. 

6.  Jesus  returns  to  Galilee.  Five  thousand  are 
fed,  and  this  event  leads  to  the  discourse  as  to  the 
Bread  of  Life.  Many  believe. 

7.  Jesus  reproves  the  boldness  of  his  kinsmen. 
Secretly  he  goes  to  the  feast  and  teaches  in  the 
temple.  Different  opinions  arise.  The  Pharisees 
are  angry  because  their  officers  did  not  take  him 
prisoner. 

8.  Jesus  delivers  the  woman  taken  in  adultery. 
He  discusses  who  he  is. 

9.  The  man  born  blind  is  restored  to  sight. 


214 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


10.  At  the  feasts  of  dedication  Jesus  speaks  of 
himself  as  the  door  and  the  good  shepherd. 

11.  Lazarus  is  raised  from  the  dead.  Jesus  testi¬ 
fies  about  himself  as  being  the  resurrection  and 
the  life. 

12.  Mary  anoints  the  Master’s  feet.  Jesus  enters 
triumphantly  into  the  city.  The  Greeks  come  to  see 
him  in  the  temple.  The  Jews  reject  him. 

13.  By  the  washing  of  feet  Jesus  teaches  a  lesson 
of  humility. 

14.  The  Master  gives  consolation  to  the  disciples 
on  account  of  his  impending  departure. 

15.  The  love  between  Christ  and  his  followers 
shall  enable  these  to  endure  persecution. 

16.  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  bring  peace  to  those 
who  love  Christ. 

17.  Jesus  prays  for  his  disciples. 

18.  Jesus  is  betrayed,  arrested,  and  tried  before 
the  Jewish  authorities.  Peter  denies  his  Lord.  The 
trial  continues  before  Pilate. 

19.  Scourged,  crowned  with  thorns,  Jesus  is  de¬ 
livered  to  be  crucified.  His  mother  is  commended 
to  John.  Jesus  dies  and  is  buried. 

20.  Mary  comes  to  the  tomb  and  finds  it  empty. 
Jesus  appears  to  her,  later  to  the  disciples  without 
Thomas,  and  again  at  another  time  with  Thomas 
present.  Conclusion  of  the  Gospel  then  follows. 

20.  Appendix.  Jesus  appears  to  the  disciples  by 
the  sea  of  Galilee  and  finally  restored  Peter  to  full 
discipleship.  Then  the  second  conclusion  of  the 
Gospel  follows. 


Christ,  Harmony  of  the  Life  of. 

The  order  of  events  is  in  general  according  to  Andrews’  “life  of  Christ.” 


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XL  VI 

THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


Title 

The  most  ancient  title  of  this  book,  as  found  in 
the  manuscripts  PRAXEIS  APOSTOLON,  which  in 
Latin  has  been  rendered  as  Acta  Apostolorum,  is 
translated  in  English,  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

Authorship 

The  writer  of  this  work  is  the  same  as  the  author 
of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  both  works  being  dedicated 
to  Theophilus  (Luke  1,3).  Besides  this  there  is  a 
striking  resemblance  in  style,  phrases,  the  use  of 
particular  words,  and  turn  of  thought.  If  then  the 
Gospel  was  the  work  of  Luke,  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  was  equally  so.  In  a  large  portion  of  the 
book  he  appears  as  eye-witness  as  will  be  seen 
from  Acts  16,10-17;  20,5-15;  21,1-18;  27-28,16,  where 
“we”  is  used.  The  historical  instinct  in  the  author 
was  most  strong  and  clear,  and  with  a  calm, 
judicial  spirit  he  takes  pains  to  present  only  most 
trustworthy  matter.  It  has  sometimes  been  called 
the  continuation  of  the  Gospel.  Critics  and  tradi¬ 
tion  alike  have  attributed  this  work  to  Luke  un- 
disputedly. 

The  time  of  composition  must  be  placed  as  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  since  it  would  seem 
most  unnatural  for  Luke  not  to  mention  such  an 
important  fact,  whose  fulfillment  had  been  pro¬ 
phesied  by  him  in  the  Gospel.  The  abrupt  termina¬ 
tion  of  the  narrative  with  the  notice  of  Paul’s  two 
year’s  imprisonment  at  Rome,  would  seem  to  indi- 


222 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


cate  that  Luke,  as  the  companion  of  Paul  in  Rome, 
though  not  in  prison,  wrote  the  narrative  in  a  con¬ 
tinuous  flow,  to  the  time  indicated  above,  possibly 
63-64  A.  D.  The  Acts  have  always  been  acknowl¬ 
edged  as  canonical.  Eusebius  places  it  in  the  fore¬ 
front  of  his  list  of  books  generally  acclaimed  as 
portions  of  Holy  Scriptures.  Clement,  Ignatius, 
Polycarp,  Justin  the  Martyr  and  other  writers  em¬ 
ploy  abundant  quotations  from  the  Acts. 

Contents 

The  object  of  this  work  is  to  give  a  faithful  and 
authentic  record  of  the  acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the 
early  church  after  the  ascension  of  the  Lord.  This 
second  treatise  of  Luke  is  a  most  necessary  supple¬ 
ment  of  the  four  Gospels.  After  the  departure  of 
Christ  the  church  is  founded  at  Jerusalem  with 
great  power  and  extraordinary  signs.  Peter,  James, 
John  and  James  the  Less,  are  pillars  of  the  church. 
After  the  question  of  admission  to  church  member¬ 
ship  had  been  decided  the  course  of  the  Gospel  is 
described  from  Antioch  to  Rome. 

Only  briefly  does  Luke  relate  the  actions  of  Peter, 
James  the  Less,  compared  with  the  importance  of  the 
apostolic  work  which  undoubtedly  they  have  ac¬ 
complished.  The  view  of  Luke  is  international. 
The  conversion  of  the  Gentile  world  is  the  subject 
of  sixteen  chapters  of  the  book.  About  twenty 
years  of  Paul’s  eventful  life,  during  a  large  part  of 
which  he  was  his  most  intimate  companion,  are 
then  traced  in  the  wonderful  history  of  Gentile 
Christianity.  Being  a  man  of  culture  and  education, 
the  idea  of  recording  what  he  had  heard  and  seen 
in  the  company  of  his  illustrious  friend,  Paul,  seemed 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


223 


advisable  to  him.  The  double  purpose  then  was  to 
present  Christianity  in  its  victorious  course  from 
the  capital  of  the  old  dispensation,  Jerusalem,  to 
the  capital  of  the  world  empire,  Rome,  and  possibly 
also  to  present  the  story  of  the  most  interesting  and 
powerful  messenger  of  the  glad  tidings,  Paul.  The 
fact,  that  in  all  probability  he  was  of  Gentile  Chris¬ 
tian  origin  himself,  made  him  all  the  more  skilled 
for  this  task. 

The  Gentile  church  sprang  from  the  mother 
church  at  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  first  period  it  had  a 
common  interest  with  the  Jewish,  namelv  the  elec- 
tion  of  an  apostle  in  the  place  of  Judas,  the  descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  preaching  of  Peter  and  John, 
the  selection  of  deacons,  and  the  martyrdom  of 
Stephen,  at  which  occasion  the  great  figure  of  Paul 
appears  upon  the  scene  for  the  first  time. 

A  few  scholars  seem  to  recognize  contradictions 
between  the  Acts  and  some  passages  in  some  of  the 
Epistles.  Such  contradictions  are  only  apparent. 
Luke  does  not  claim  that  he  wrote  down  everything 
in  regard  to  Paul  and  his  work.  If  Paul  mentions 
this,  for  instance,  that  he  was  in  Arabia,  and  no 
trace  of  this  is  found  in  the  Acts,  this  would  not  be 
proof  of  a  contradiction.  It  is  quite  natural  also 
that  Paul  himself  should  divulge  more  of  his  private 
life  which  Luke  naturally  would  hesitate  to  present 
to  the  public  eye.  These  passages,  Acts  9,26-30  and 
Gal.  1,17-24;  Acts  15,1  fg.  and  Gal.  2,1  fg.,  certainly 
supplement  each  other. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-3.  The  Prologue. 

1,4-12.  The  Early  History  of  the  Church. 


224 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


13-20.  Paul’s  Missionary  Journeys. 

21-28.  His  Imprisonment  and  Journey  to  Rome. 

Sketch  of  Paul’s  Life. 

1.  Period  of  youth. 

2.  Seven  years  of  preparation. 

3.  Missionary  Journeys  52-59  A.  D. 

1.  Brief  Journey  through  Cyprus  and  Galatia — 

Paphos,  Pisidia,  Antioch,  Iconium,  Lystra  and  re¬ 
turn  trip  to  Jerusalem. 

2.  Macedonia  and  Achaia  with  headquarters  at 
Corinth  one  and  one-half  years — Passes  through 
Phrygia  and  Galatia.  Is  joined  by  Luke.  In 
stocks  at  Philippi.  The  tumult  at  Thessalonica. 
Preaches  at  Athens.  Dwells  at  Corinth.  Visits 
Jerusalem  for  fourth  time. 

3.  Work  in  Asia  with  headquarters  at  Ephesus 
two  years — The  tour  of  visitation.  Ephesus  and  the 
Shrine-makers.  Through  Macedonia.  Again  at 
Philippi.  The  elders  of  Ephesus  meet  him.  A  rest 
day  at  Ceasarea. 

4.  Years  of  Imprisonment  59-64  A.  D. — 

1.  At  Ceasarea  two  years.  His  defense  before  the 
Jewish  mob,  Felix,  Festus  and  Agrippa. 

2.  On  the  way  to  Rome  one  year. 

3.  In  Rome  two  years.  His  death. 

Chapt.  1.  After  the  prologue  followed  a  lengthy 
account  of  the  ascension.  The  place  of  Judas  is 
filled  by  a  new  election.  Matthias  is  chosen. 

2.  The  day  of  Pentecost  has  arrived.  Peter 
preaches  and  three  thousand  are  added  to  the  church. 

3.  Peter  and  John  heal  a  lame  man.  The  number 
of  believers  grows  to  five  thousand. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


225 


4.  Peter  and  John  are  imprisoned,  but  later  freed. 
Communism  is  established  among  the  early 
Christians. 

5.  Annanias  and  Sapphira  sin.  The  apostles  are 
again  imprisoned.  An  angel  delivers  them.  Gama¬ 
liel  gives  counsel. 

6.  Seven  men  are  elected  deacons,  among  them 
Stephen. 

7.  Stephen  testifies  in  behalf  of  Christ  and  is 
stoned  to  death. 

8.  Saul  persecutes  the  Christians.  Peter  and 
John  confirm  the  churches.  Philip  baptizes  the 
Ethiopian  eunuch. 

9.  Saul  journeys  to  Damascus,  is  called  by  Christ, 
and  receives  Holy  Baptism.  Peter  heals  Aeneas  and 
raises  Tabitha  from  the  dead. 

10.  Peter  by  a  vision  from  heaven  is  taught  not 
to  despise  the  Gentiles. 

11.  The  gospel  spreads.  The  disciples  are  called 
Christians  at  Antioch. 

12.  Herod  persecutes  the  Christians.  James  is 
killed.  Peter  imprisoned,  but  later  delivered  by  an 
angel.  Herod  dies  miserably. 

13.  Paul  and  Barnabas  enter  upon  the  first  Mis¬ 
sionary  Journey.  They  travel  through  Cyprus, 
Paphos,  Antioch,  Iconium. 

14.  At  Lystra  Paul  heals  a  cripple.  Paul  is  stoned. 

15.  Dissension  concerning  circumcision  arises.  A 
convention  is  held  at  Jerusalem.  The  Apostles  de¬ 
cide  that  Gentile  Christians  need  not  be  circum¬ 
cised.  Paul  and  Barnabas  separate. 

16.  The  second  Missionary  Journey  commences. 
Paul  is  joined  by  Timothy  at  Derbe,  has  a  vision  at 


226 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Troas,  goes  to  Europe,  and  Lydia  at  Philippi  be¬ 
comes  his  first  convert.  Paul  heals  a  damsel  of 
divination  and  is  cast  into  prison.  God  intervenes 
and  Paul  and  Silas  are  freed. 

17.  Paul  labors  at  Thessalonica.  Some  believe, 
others  persecute  him.  He  is  sent  to  Berea  and  fin¬ 
ally  comes  to  Athens,  where  he  makes  known  the 
UNKNOWN  GOD. 

18.  Paul  labors  at  Corinth.  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
entertain  him.  In  a  vision  he  is  encouraged.  Ac¬ 
cused  before  Galleo  he  is  freed.  Apollos  preaches 
Christ  with  splendid  results,  at  Ephesus.  Paul  re¬ 
turns  to  Jerusalem  and  Antioch. 

19.  The  third  Missionary  Journey  is  begun.  Paul 
sojourns  two  years  at  Ephesus.1  Following  an  up¬ 
roar  led  by  Demetrius  he  flees  from  the  city^. 

20.  He  departs  for  Macedonia  and  Greece.  On 
his  return  he  raises  Eutychus  to  life  and  at  Miletus 
he  takes  farewell  from  the  elders  of  Ephesus. 

21.  Paul,  in  spite  of  warnings,  goes  to  Jerusalem. 
He  is  apprehended  in  an  uproar  and  saved  only  with 
difficulty  by  the  Roman  Captain  Lysias. 

22.  Paul  defends  himself  before  the  mob.  Being 
bound  he  claims  Roman  citizenship. 

23.  New  dangers  from  the  hands  of  the  Jews 
threaten  him.  He  is  sent  to  Ceasarea,  the  seat  of 
governor  Felix.2 

CD 

24.  The  Jews  accuse  Paul  before  the  governor. 
Paul  defends  himself. 


iThe  temple  of  Diana  was  one  of  the  seven  wonders 
of  the  world. 

2Felix  was  governor  of  Judea  from  52-61  A.  D.  He  is 
said  to  have  been  cruel  and  greedy. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


227 


25.  Festus,1  taking  the  place  of  Felix,  grants  an¬ 
other  trial  at  the  request  of  the  Jews.  Agrippa  is 
present.  Paul  appeals  to  the  emperor. 

26.  The  prisoner  continues  his  defense  and  makes 
a  favorable  impression. 

27.  Paul  enters  upon  the  dangerous  voyage2  to 
Rome. 

28.  He  heals  many  diseases.  Arrived  at  Rome, 
he  preaches  there  two  years. 

^Festus  died  62  A.  D.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  just 
ruler. 

2This  description  of  the  voyage  has  been  considered  of 
the  most  valuable  nautical  document  in  existence,  from 
the  days  of  antiquity. 


Acts,  Chronology  of;  with  the  Paulino  Epistles. 

Dates  according  to  recent  schemes. 


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XL  VII 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS 

Title 

“Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  called  to  be  an 
apostle  unto  the  Gospel  of  God,  which  he  promised 
afore  by  his  prophets  in  the  Holy  Scriptures — to  all 
that  are  in  Rome,  beloved  of  God,  called  to  be  saints : 
Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and 

the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.’  This  is  the  title  of  the 

# 

present  book. 

Authorship 

The  authenticity  of  the  Epistle  is  indisputable ; 
the  internal  evidence  is  convincing.  The  tone  of 
thought,  method  of  argument,  and  style,  has  all  the 
characteristics  peculiar  to  Paul.  With  powers 
strong  and  vigorous,  he  vas  trained  to  logical  think¬ 
ing  in  the  best  institutions  of  his  times.  Before  he 
ever  became  a  Christian  he  had  become  a  master  of 
thought,  comprising  the  field  of  Jewish  scholarship. 
When  he  accepted  the  Mascer  who  called  him  on  the 
road  to  Damascus,  he  had  light  that  shone  into  the 
innermost  recesses  of  theological  science  as  it  ex¬ 
isted  at  his  time.  Having  found  Titus  at  Troas, 
Paul,  passing  through  Macedonia,  made  his  head¬ 
quarters  for  a  considerable  time  a'  Corinth.  Here  it 
was  that  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  was  written. 

Christianity  was  being  preached  vigorously  at  the 
world  capital.  It  had  not  been  carried  there  by 
Paul  himself,  for  the  Epistle  indicates  that  he  never 
was  in  Rome,  but  only  knew  the  Roman  church 
by  report. 

The  tradition  claims  Peter  was  the  founder  of  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


231 


church  at  Rome,  but  this  is  unlikely.  No  refer¬ 
ence  is  made  in  this  letter  to  Peter’s  work  there,  and 
this  surely  would  have  been  done  had  such  promin¬ 
ent  apostle  as  Peter  commenced  the  work.  Who 
first  planted  it  there,  we  have  no  definite  means  of 
knowing.  The  large  number  of  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  likely  included  some  Christians. 
“Strangers  from  Rome”  were  present  at  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  Again,  after  the  death  of  Stephen,  many 
scattered  abroad  and  “went  everywhere.” 

The  apostle  had  long  wished  to  preach  in  the 
capital  of  the  world  empire  (Acts  19,21 ;  Rom. 
1,9;  10,13;  15,23,24,28)  and  from  there  to  make 
his  journey  westward  to  Spain  (Rom.  15,28). 
Finding  it  necessary  to  postpone  this  trip,  but 
also  as  a  means  of  introduction  in  case  he  should 
come,  he  wrote  this  Epistle  58  A.  D.,  a  few  months 
after  he  had  written  those  to  the  Galatians  and 
Corinthians. 

Paul’s  vision  was  world  wide.  Rome,  the  centre 
of  civilization  at  that  time,  was  also  to  become  the 
centre  from  which  the  Gospel  light  should  radiate 
into  the  farthest  corners  of  the  then  known  world. 

Contents 

In  a  grand,  elaborate  presentation  of  the  whole 
plan  of  salvation  the  writer  sent  his  didactic  mes¬ 
sage  to  Rome.  But  why  did  he  write  such  an  elab¬ 
orate  letter?  It  is  not  polemic  either  against  Jew 
or  Gentile.  Evidently  he  realized  the  strategic 
position  of  the  Roman  church.  He  also  felt  that  the 
church  must  be  attacked  sooner  or  later.  Already 
the  antagonists  had  invaded  his  congregation  at  dif¬ 
ferent  places.  Upon  a  broad,  intellectual  basis, 


232 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


argued  in  wonderful  dialectic  completeness,  Paul 
lays  the  foundations  of  world  Christianity. 

“Phebe,  our  sister,”  who  traveled  from  Ephesus 
to  Rome  was  the  carrier  of  the  letter.  His  great 
theme  is  “justification  by  faith.”  He  proves  at 
length  the  universal  lack  of  righteousness  of  Jew 
and  Gentile  (1,18-3,20).  Having  thus  shown  the 
moral  bankruptcy  he  then  reveals  righteousness 
in  the  Gospel  as  found  in  the  redemption  of  Jesus 
Christ  (3,21-26).  This  is  the  means  by  which  God 
through  mere  grace  saves  Israel  and  the  world  at 
large  (3,27-5).  Then  the  relations  of  these  various 
doctrines  to  other  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures  are 
brought  out  (5-11).  After  that  follows  a  discus¬ 
sion  of  a  number  of  practical  subjects  of  interest  to 
every  Christian.  The  doctrinal  thought  as  a  whole 
is  resting  upon  Hebrew  presuppositions.  The  Roman 
custom  of  adoption  may  have  suggested  the  thought 
bearing  on  the  adoption  of  the  believers  by  God  as 
sons  and  heirs.  The  Epistle  is  a  masterpiece  of  pre¬ 
sentation  of  the  way  of  salvation.  Everything  in  it 
circles  around  the  two  poles,  Sin  and  Grace.  Faith 
is  the  hand  which  grasps  Salvation,  and  Hope  and 
Love  are  fruits  of  faith. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-17.  Greeting.  Theme  of  the  Letter. 

1,18-11.  Doctrinal  Part. 

12-14.  Hortatory. 

15-16.  Supplementary. 

Chapt.  1.  Salutation.  Introduction:  “I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  Gospel ;  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  every  one  that  believeth.”  Outside  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel  there  is  only  a  revelation  of  God’s  wrath.  This 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


233 


is  seen  in  the  preponderance  of  sin  among  the 
Gentiles. 

2.  God  is  just.  His  righteousness  shall  prevail, 
whether  Jew  or  Gentile. 

3.  The  Jews  have  certain  prerogatives.  But  none 
is  justified  by  law.  Jews  and  Greeks  alike  are  sin¬ 
ners.  The  only  justification  valid  before  God  is  that 
wrought  through  the  God-man  Jesus  Christ. 

4.  Abraham’s  faith  was  counted  as  an  imputation 
of  righteousness.  He  and  his  seed  received  the 
promise.  So  likewise  faith  of  the  Christian  is  to 
be  imputed. 

5.  Peace  with  God  is  the  consequence  of  such  im¬ 
putation.  Righteousness  and  life  comes  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

6.  This  grace  comes  to  man  through  baptism.  By 
this  means  he  enters  into  fellowship  with  Christ. 
Man  must  not  let  sin  reign,  for  death  is  its  wages. 

7.  Jesus  Christ  has  redeemed  man  from  sin  and 
the  power  of  the  law. 

8.  Those  who  live  in  Christ  are  free  from  con¬ 
demnation.  The  flesh  brings  harm.  The  spirit  is 
life.  “For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  things  pres¬ 
ent,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  powers,  nor  height,  nor 
depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  sep¬ 
arate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus.” 

9.  Paul  sorrows  for  the  Jews.  Though  children 
of  Abraham,  not  all  are  children  of  the  promise.  Je¬ 
hovah  is  still  merciful  to  those  who  will  listen  to 
him.  He  also  calls  the  heathen  to  become  heirs  of 
the  kingdom. 


234 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


10.  There  is  a  difference  between  the  righteous¬ 
ness  of  the  law  and  of  faith.  Salvation  is  open  to 
all  who  believe.  Israel  does  not  believe. 

11.  God  has  not  rejected  Israel.  Some  were 
elected,  some  were  hardened.  When  the  heathen 
have  entered  the  kingdom  of  grace,  Israel  also  shall 
be  won  back  to  love  and  obedience. 

12. 1  The  believers  should  enlist  in  the  service  of 
their  Master,  who  will  demand  mutual  helpfulness 
and  brotherly  love. 

13. 1  The  disciple  of  Christ  will  take  the  right  po¬ 
sition  towards  authority  established  by  God. 

14.  The  weak  should  be  treated  with  patience. 
Things  indifferent  should  not  justify  men  to  con¬ 
demn  one  another.  “The  kingdom  of  God  is  not 
eating  and  drinking,  but  righteousness  and  peace 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.” 

15.  The  strong  must  bear  with  the  weak.  Har¬ 
mony  must  prevail  between  the  different  members 
of  the  congregation.  Christ  did  not  please  himself, 
neither  should  his  followers  attempt  to  do  so.  Paul 
justifies  his  writing  to  the  Romans  and  concludes 
with  a  benediction. 

16.  Divers  salutations  are  conveyed  and  the  whole 
book  concluded  with  giving  thanks  and  praise  to 
God. 

^Chapter  12  and  13  have  many  things  in  common  with 
the  First  Epistle  of  Peter.  It  may,  therefore,  be  safely  as¬ 
sumed  that  Paul  knew  this  letter  and  based  his  exhorta¬ 
tions  upon  it. 


XL  VIII 

THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 


Title 

“Paul,  called  to  be  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ 
through  the  will  of  God,  and  Sosthenes  our  brother, 
unto  the  church  of  God  which  is  at  Corinth.” 

Authorship 

The  authorship  of  this  Epistle  is  not  in  doubt.  The 
internal  as  well  as  the  external  evidence  available 
silences  all  venturesome  criticism.  Much  discour¬ 
aged  by  the  unfruitfulness  of  his  sojourn  Paul  left 
Athens  after  his  memorable  address  in  the  Areopa¬ 
gus  and  sailed  to  Corinth.  This  city  was  no  longer 
the  old  city  so  famous  and  so  powerful  in  the  days 
of  the  Pelopennesian  war.  It  had  become  the  cap¬ 
ital  of  the  Roman  province  of  Achaia.  Though 
abounding  with  industries  and  wealth  it  was  morally 
corrupt.  Into  this  city  of  large  proportion,  with  its 
seething  mass  of  Jews,  merchants,  philosophers  and 
agents  of  all  sorts  of  vices,  the  lonely  apostle  found 
his  way.  Evidently  his  stay  here  impressed  his 
imagination,  for  he  draws  many  illustrations  from 
their  stadium,  races,  courts  of  justice,  theatres,  and 
their  garlands  of  Isthmian  pine.  The  church  there 
was  made  up  of  Jews  with  their  tendencies  to  big¬ 
otry  and  of  Gentiles  with  their  propensities  to 
worldliness.  Dissension,  disorders,  and  immorality 
of  the  grossest  kind  abounded.  Besides  that,  prac¬ 
tical  questions  of  importance  were  needing  the  wis¬ 
dom  and  inspiration  of  their  spiritual  father.  Paul’s 
residence  at  Ephesus  was  made  anxious  by  these 
disturbed  affairs.  This  first  letter  was  written  in 


236 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Ephesus1  in  the  spring  of  57  A.  D.  He  had  prev¬ 
iously  written  a  letter,  which  had  not  been  preserved 
and  in  which  he  had  given  instruction  as  to  what 
the  attitude  of  the  true  follower  of  Christ  should  be 
in  these  matters  referred  to  above.  Timothy  had 
been  sent  to  Corinth  (4,17;  16,10).  Paul  directed 
the  church  to  follow  his  instructions. 

Worse  troubles  than  at  first  appeared  prevailed. 
Factions  arose  in  the  church  threatening  disruption. 
A  delegation  from  Corinth  visited  (16,17)  the 
apostle,  inquiring  how  the  church  should  act  in  view 
of  certain  perplexing  social  difficulties.  Sound  doc¬ 
trine  was  imperiled,  abuses  crept  into  public  wor¬ 
ship,  extravagance  and  pride,  errors  about  the  res¬ 
urrection,  and  actual  immorality  were  rampant  in 
the  congregation.  To  meet  these  conditions  was  the 
purpose  of  this  letter  and  it  was  doubtless  carried 
back  to  Corinth  by  this  delegation. 

Contents 

The  subjects  in  which  the  Corinthians  needed  in¬ 
struction  are  taken  up  in  regular  order  and  are 
answered  with  masterly  tact  and  wonderful  firm¬ 
ness.  The  factious  spirit  first  needed  correction. 
Paul,  Apollos,  Peter,  even  Christ  had  become  party 
names.  Especially  Paul  and  Apollos  are  contrasted. 
What  are  they?  Co-laborers  in  Christ.  Paul  had 
laid  the  foundation  and  Apollos  had  built  on  it.  To 
the  Jew  he  presents  a  Gospel  of  righteousness,  and 
to  the  Greek  true  wisdom.  The  rest  of  the  letter 
mainly  occupies  itself  with  answering  the  many 

IThe  note  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle  in  the  King  Janies 
Version  stating  that  it  was  written  at  Philippi,  is  an  ad¬ 
dition  of  a  later  scribe  and  is  erroneous. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


237 


questions  and  solving  the  numerous  problems  that 
had  arisen.  There  were  questions  about  marriage 
and  celibacy,  second  marriages  and  mixed  mar¬ 
riages,  marriages  of  wards  and  daughters.  There 
were  bitter  disputes  between  the  “weak”  and  the 
“strong”  on  the  question  of  meats  offered  to  idols. 
It  was  asked  whether  man  or  woman  should  come  to 
public  worship  with  heads  uncovered.  There  were 
difficulties  as  regards  spiritual  gifts.  The  resur¬ 
rection  of  the  dead  had  become  an  object  of  bitter 
controversy.  The  collection  to  be  taken  for  the 
poor  of  Jerusalem  also  needed  attention.  In  answer 
to  all  these  questions,  the  apostle  sent  this  long  and 
careful  Epistle  to  the  congregation  at  the  Achaian 
capital.  The  style  is  largely  classical,  and  the 
vocabulary  is  very  rich.  Yet  Paul  does  not  bow  to 
the  spirit  or  influence  of  Greek  wisdom,  for  behind 
it  there  lurks  much  sin. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-9.  Introduction. 

1,10-6.  Serious  Moral  Evils  are  Reproved. 

7-20.  Christian  Liberty  is  discussed. 

11-14.  The  Good  Order  in  a  Christian  Congre¬ 
gation. 

15.  The  Resurrection  of  the  Dead. 

16.  The  Collection  for  Jerusalem.  Greetings. 

Chapt.  1.  After  salutation  and  thanksgiving  the 
apostle  exhorts  to  unity. 

2.  The  Gospel  has  been  preached  to  the  Corinth¬ 
ians  not  in  excellency  of  speech,  but  simplicity.  The 
wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolishness  with  God. 

3.  Paul  and  Apollos  are  both  ministers  of  Christ. 


238 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Division  hurts  the  body  of  Christ.  Men  are  the 
temples  of  God  and  must  be  kept  holy. 

4.  Paul  suffers  much  on  account  of  the  Gospel. 

5.  The  old  leaven  of  immorality  must  be  purged 
out. 

6.  The  disputes  among  Christians  should  be  set¬ 
tled  out  of  heathen  courts.  Defilement  is  reproved. 

7.  Fidelity  is  demanded  in  marital  relations.  The 
sanctity  of  marriage  is  upheld,  although  as  to  him¬ 
self  the  apostle  avows  his  preference  for  an  un¬ 
married  estate. 

8.  Bold  and  tactful  are  the  directions  given  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  eating  meat  of  idols.  For  the  sake  of 
the  weaker  brother,  the  stronger  should  deny 
himself. 

9-10.  The  Christian  must  not  be  led  awav  by 
pagan  surroundings. 

11.  Abuses  which  had  crept  into  the  church  are 
corrected.  The  love  feasts  had  become  occasions 
for  revelry.  The  Lord’s  Supper  is  discussed. 

12.  Manifold  are  the  spiritual  gifts,  but  all  have 
one  origin,  the  Spirit. 

13.  After  discussing  all  the  different  gifts,  Paul 
knows  of  a  “more  excellent  wav,”  Love.  The  eve 
fills  with  delight  and  his  soul  with  deep  emotion  as 
he  discusses  this  way. 

14.  Edification  should  be  the  moving  motive  of  all 
public  exercise.  Gifts  are  not  an  end  in  themselves. 

15.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  attested  by  many 
witnesses.  Christ  is  risen;  the  dead  must  rise. 
Praise  to  God  for  his  victory.  A  masterly  argument. 

16.  Paul  exhorts  and  plans  and  concludes  with  a 
benediction. 


XLIX 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

Title 

“Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  through  the  will 
of  God,  and  Timothy  our  brother,  unto  the  church  of 
God  which  is  at  Corinth,  with  all  the  saints  which 
are  in  the  whole  of  Achaia.” 

Contents 

The  first  letter  did  not  at  once  change  all  the 
conditions  existing  at  Corinth.  Timothy  having 
been  sent  thither  had  returned  to  Ephesus.  Then 
Titus  was  sent  in  his  place.  Meanwhile  Paul  was 
driven  from  Ephesus  through  the  stir  created  by 
Demetrius.  He  had  hoped  to  meet  Titus  at  Troas. 
Either  Paul  arrived  at  Troas  earlier  than  expected, 
or  Titus  had  been  delayed.  So  Paul  went  to  Mace¬ 
donia  with  great  unrest  and  longing  to  meet  Titus 
in  order  to  learn  of  conditions  in  Corinth,  and  how 
his  letter  had  been  received.  At  last  Titus  came, 
and  the  tidings  he  brought  seemed  favorable.  The 
people  apparently  listened  to  the  advice  of  the 
apostle  and  corrected  some  abuses.  Possibly  out  of 
kindness  Titus  did  not  explain  the  new  situation 
which  made  matters  very  discouraging  indeed. 
Paul’s  change  of  plan  of  the  promised  visit  had 
given  rise  to  many  remarks  most  injurious  to  the 
character  of  the  apostle.  A  disaffected  minority 
had  hinted  at  his  cowardice  in  not  coming,  his 
vacillation  in  changing  his  mind,  the  baldness  and 

1The  note  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle  in  the  King  James 
Version  stating  that  it  had  been  written  in  Philippi,  is 
erroneous. 


240 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


simplicity  of  his  speech,  the  fact  that  he  had  no 
commendatory  letters  from  Jerusalem,  and  his 
dubious  position  as  regarded  the  law.  They  insinu¬ 
ated  doubts  as  to  his  perfect  honesty  and  charged 
him  with  underhand  designs  with  reference  to  the 
collection.  These  charges  came  at  a  time  when  the 
apostle  was  suffering  overwhelming  distress.  It  be¬ 
came  his  duty  to  defend  himself,  however  distaste¬ 
ful.  The  unscrupulousness  of  his  opponents  forced 
him  to  refute  any  semblance  of  egotism  in  strong 
terms.  He  could  not  possibly  permit  the  Judaizers 
to  call  in  question  his  Apostolic  authority.  This 
Epistle  is  entirely  different  from  the  first,  where  he 
corrected  the  abuses  of  a  most  unsatisfactory 
church. 

In  the  Second  appears  the  impassioned  self- 
defense  of  a  wounded  spirit  to  ungrateful  children. 
Affliction  is  the  predominant  thought.  The  troubles 
at  Ephesus,  the  anxiety  at  Troas,  the  consolation  of 
Macedonia  all  find  expression  in  a  most  emotional 
manner. 

He  justifies  his  authority,  pours  forth  his  love,  re¬ 
views  his  life,  rebukes  and  pleads,  chastizes  and 
cheers,  with  a  rush  of  language,  which  betrays  the 
highly  wrought  condition  of  his  mind.  He  lays 
bare  his  soul  and  gives  a  glowing  description  of  his 
ministry.  After  having  expressed  great  joy  in  the 
restored  fidelity  of  his  converts,  he  urges  them  to 
liberality  and  to  receive  Titus  and  others  who  were 
about  to  visit  them.  At  the  end  of  the  ninth  chapter 
there  is  a  sudden,  startling  break  in  the  whole  man¬ 
ner  and  tone.  Vehemently,  scathingly,  giving  refer¬ 
ences  of  events  in  his  history  not  recorded  else- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


241 


where,  he  denounces  the  minority  who  attacked  his 
person,  authority  and  work.  In  the  autumn  of  57 
A.  D.  he  finally  reached  Corinth  himself,  tarried 
there  over  winter  and  probably  adjusted  the  many 
difficulties.  It  was  while  at  Corinth  at  this  time 
that  the  letter  to  the  Romans  was  written. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-7.  The  Repentant  Members  are  Restored 
to  Confidence. 

8-9.  Liberality  is  Urged  for  the  Suffering  Jews. 

10-13.  The  Antagonists  are  Reproved. 

Chapt.  1-2.  The  apostle  encourages  the  Corinth¬ 
ians  against  troubles.  Explains  the  reasons  for  not 
coming  to  them. 

3-4.  Faith  of  the  Corinthians  is  his  commenda¬ 
tion.  Faithful  in  preaching  the  Gospel  he  also  en¬ 
dured  great  persecution  for  its  sake. 

5-6.  Paul  has  hope  of  immortal  glory.  Reconciles 
sinners  with  God  through  Christ. 

7.  He  finds  comfort  in  afflictions.  Godly  sor¬ 
row  works  repentance. 

8-9.  The  example  of  the  Macedonians  should  in¬ 
cite  the  readers  to  liberality. 

10-13.  Paul  defends  his  apostleship  in  a  masterly 
manner.  He  has  reason  to  boast  of  outward  advant¬ 
ages,  but  he  chiefly  glorifies  in  him  who  said:  “My 
grace  is  sufficient  unto  thee,  for  my  power  is  made 
perfect  in  weakness.”  Greetings  and  the  Apostolic 
benediction  close  this  letter. 


L 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS 

Title 

“Paul,  an  apostle  (not  from  men,  neither  through 
man,  but  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  God  the  father, 
who  raised  him  from  the  dead),  and  all  the  brethren 
which  are  with  me,  unto  the  churches  of  Galatia.” 

Authorship 

The  authenticity  of  this  letter  has  not  been  called 
in  question.  But  where  was  Galatia?  The  Galatians 
were  Gauls  and  Celts,  who  settled  in  Asia  Minor 
about  250  B.  C.  on  both  sides  of  the  Halys  river.  The 
Romans  conquered  this  country  about  80  B.  C.  and  it 
became  reduced  to  a  Roman  province  about  26  B.  C. 
The  chief  cities  were  Ancyra,  Pessinus,  and  Tavium. 
It  is  noticeable  that  Luke  does  not  use  the  word 
“Galatia,”  but  specifies  this  district  as  the  “Galatic 
Land  and  Phrygia”  (Acts  16,6;  18,23).  It  was  on 
his  second  Missionary  Journey  that  Paul  had  estab¬ 
lished  churches  in  this  territory.  There  does  not  ap¬ 
pear  to  have  been  any  one  city  which  he  had  made 
his  headquarters  as  in  the  case  of  Ephesus  and  Cor¬ 
inth  respectively.  The  Epistle  is  addressed  to  “the 
churches  of  Galatia,”  which  term  probably  included 
many  Christian  settlements  scattered  over  a  vast 
territory. 

t/ 

While  at  Ephesus,  a  report  reached  the  apostle 
from  Galatia  that  certain  men  coming  down  from 
Judea  had  created  a  disturbance  among  the  Chris¬ 
tians,  contending  that  the  Gentiles  converted  to 
Christianity  were  to  be  circumcized,  and  that  Paul 
who  taught  the  contrary,  was  of  inferior  authority 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


243 


to  the  other  apostles  and  out  of  accord  with 
Peter.  Then,  too,  they  taught  the  continued  obliga¬ 
tion  of  the  Mosaic  Law.  Paul’s  mind  was  filled  with 
grievous  apprehensions,  for  the  work  of  these 
Juclaizing  missionaries  struck  at  the  very  heart  of 
his  Gospel.  The  church  of  Jerusalem  was  misrepre¬ 
sented,  the  old  conflict  which  the  council  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem  sought  to  settle  was  revived. 

This  letter,  written  in  inspired  indignation,  en¬ 
deavoring  to  bring  back  the  erring  and  misled,  was 
composed  at  Ephesus1  probably  about  57  A.  I). 

Contents 

The  object  in  the  Epistle  is  to  recall  the  Galatians 
to  the  Gospel  which  they  had  first  received  from 
himself,  the  unchangeable  good  tidings  of  justifica¬ 
tion  by  the  free  grace  of  God,  simply  through  the 
faith  in  Christ,  and  not  by  the  deeds  of  the  law. 

After  a  brief  introduction  he  proceeds  to  vindi¬ 
cate  his  apostolic  authority.  God  himself  had  called 
him  to  his  high  office  and  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  had 
revealed  to  him  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom. 

Barnabas  and  the  mother  church  had  approved 
his  Gospel.  Peter’s  tendency  to  give  away  to  the 
Judaizing  influences  was  not  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
difference  in  doctrine,  but  simply  as  a  yielding  in 
the  hour  of  weakness.  It  is  folly  to  forsake  the 
crucified  Redeemer  who  has  freed  men  from  the 
ritual  law.  This  law  was  needed  in  the  old  dispen¬ 
sation  as  a  tutor  to  Christ,  but  now  the  Christians 
are  freedmen,  seed  of  Abraham  in  a  spiritual  sense. 
A  postscript  in  regard  to  the  apostle’s  own  hand- 


'The  note  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle  in  the  King  James 
Version  stating  that  it  was  written  at  Rome,  is  erroneous. 


244 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


writing  and  a  summary  of  the  contents  conclude  the 
letter.  All  further  attacks  are  useless,  because  he 
said:  “I  bear  in  my  body  the  slave-marks  of  Jesus.” 

Division 

Chapt.  1-2.  The  Apostolic  Calling  of  Paul. 

2-5.  Proof  of  the  Validity  of  his  Doctrine. 

6.  The  Right  Use  of  Christian  Liberty. 

Chapt.  1.  The  apostle  wonders  why  the  readers 
have  so  soon  left  the  truth,  and  have  followed  those 
who  have  preached  a  different  Gospel.  Paul’s  Gos¬ 
pel  has  been  received  by  him  from  Christ  and  ap¬ 
proved  by  the  church. 

2.  The  council  at  Jerusalem  showed  that  he  was 
in  harmony  with  the  rest  of  the  apostles.  Faith  in 
Jesus  only  justifies. 

3.  Abraham,  too,  was  justified  by  faith.  The  law 
came  later,  as  a  tutor  to  Christ.  There  is  no  differ¬ 
ence  between  those  who  believe  in  Christ. 

4.  Till  Christ  came,  all  were  under  the  ritual  law. 

5.  The  Galatians  are  admonished  to  stand  fast 
in  their  liberty,  and  to  turn  away  from  false  teach¬ 
ings  and  works  of  the  flesh. 

6.  They  are  admonished  to  forbearing  and  to  sow 
seeds  of  the  spirit. 


LI 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS  (?) 

Title 

“Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  through  the  will 
of  God,  to  the  saints  (at  Ephesus?)  and  the  faithful 
in  Jesus  Christ.  ’  ’ 

The  words  “in  Ephesus”  are  not  found  in  the  best 
manuscripts.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  determine 
whether  these  words  were  omitted  in  some  manu¬ 
scripts  from  the  original  text,  or  whether  they  were 
inserted  in  others  where  the  text  had  them  not.  In 
either  case,  however,  the  letter  was  not  meant  for 
the  Ephesians  alone,  but  was  intended  as  an  en¬ 
cyclical  letter,  to  go  the  round  of  all  the  churches 
in  that  neighborhood.  If  solely  intended  for  the 
Ephesians,  it  would  have  certainly  contained  salu¬ 
tations  to  Paul’s  many  friends  at  the  great  commer¬ 
cial  centre  of  Asia  Minor.  Then,  too,  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  communication  is  general  and  no  spe¬ 
cific  local  questions  are  discussed.  The  theory  of 
its  being  a  circular  letter  addressed  to  the  churches 
of  Asia  seems  well  founded.  It  is  perhaps  the  one 
mentioned  in  Colossians  4,16  as  the  Epistle  from 
Laodicea,  a  copy  having  been  left  there  by  Tychicus, 
the  personal  friend  of  Paul,  who  distributed  copies 
of  it  among  the  congregations  of  the  province.  Pos¬ 
sibly  it  was  finally  kept  at  Ephesus,  hence  the  title, 
“To  The  Ephesians.” 

Authorship 

Some  modern  critics  (De  Wette,  Baur,  S.  David¬ 
son,  etc.)  have  doubted  that  the  letter  was  written 
by  Paul,  basing  their  opinion  on  the  supposed  in- 


246 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


ternal  evidence :  the  wordy  repetition  of  that  to  the 
Colossians ;  expressions,  which  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  writer  had  never  been  in  Ephesus  (1,15)  ;  the 
omission  of  a  salutation  mentioned  before,  the  in¬ 
tended  readers  were  wholly  Gentile.  But  the  in¬ 
ternal  and  external  evidence  in  favor  of  the  Pauline 
authorship  by  far  overbalances  the  apparent  reasons 
given  by  the  critics.  In  several  places  the  “prisoner 
of  the  Lord”  is  referred  to.  There  were  two  places 
where  Paul  suffered  imprisonment,  Cesarea  and 
Rome.  And  the  fact  that  Tvchicus  was  the  bearer 
of  this  letter  as  well  as  those  to  Colossians,  Philip- 
pians  and  Philemon,  and  other  allusions  make  it 
likely  that  Paul  was  in  Rome  when  he  wrote  this 
letter,  probably  about  62  A.  D.  The  helpers  named, 
Timothy,  Luke,  Epaphras,  Demas,  Mark,  Aris¬ 
tarchus,  all  point  to  the  capital  on  the  Tiber. 

Contents 

The  Epistle  is  closely  related  to  Colossians  in 
language  and  thought,  which  merely  indicates  that 
the  writer  composed  both  under  similar  conditions 
and  frame  of  mind.  The  subject  matter,  however, 
is  not  identical.  In  the  Ephesians  the  church  as 
the  body  of  Christ  received  considerable  emphasis, 
while  in  the  Colossians  Christ  is  considered  “the 
fulness  of  God.”  The  general  thought  in  this  letter 
does  not  reveal  a  specific  object,  the  design  is  to 
confirm,  edify,  animate  and  elevate  the  readers.  The 
atmosphere  is  very  bright  and  the  sky  is  sunny. 
The  believers  sit  with  Christ  in  heavenly  places  and 
tarry  in  the  new  Jerusalem.  Earnest  prayer  for 
spiritual  growth,  the  spiritual  history  of  the  cor¬ 
respondents  and  the  goodness  of  God  are  dwelt 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


247 


upon  with  a  wonderful  depth  of  thought.  The  last 
three  chapters  are  of  a  practical  nature.  The  office¬ 
bearers  of  the  church,  the  characteristics  of  the 
Christian  receive  attention  in  a  spirit  of  glowing 
delight. 

Division 

Chapt.1-3.  Doctrinal  Subjects. 

Chapt.  4-6.  Practical  Subjects. 

Chapt.  1.  God  has  blessed  men  with  his  Sonship. 
Thanks  are  given  for  the  love  which  God  has  given 
to  the  churches.  The  glory  of  Christ  is  exalted. 

2.  Man,  dead  in  sin  and  trespasses,  has  been  quick¬ 
ened.  The  ritual  law  of  Moses  is  no  longer  valid. 
God  reconciles  men  unto  himself  by  the  cross. 

3.  The  hidden  mystery,  that  the  Gentiles  should 
be  saved,  is  made  known  to  Paul. 

4.  Unity  in  the  church  is  essential.  The  new  man 
will  put  off  lying  and  all  manner  of  evil. 

5.  Let  love  prevail.  Fornication  and  all  unclean¬ 
ness  must  be  cast  aside.  Each  should  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Parents  have  duties  towards  their 
children. 

6.  Children  have  duties  towards  their  parents,  the 
servants  towards  their  masters.  In  the  battle 
against  evil  it  is  necessary  to  put  on  the  whole 
armour  of  light.  Intercessions  and  commendation  of 
Tychicus  conclude  the  Epistle. 


LII 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS 

Title 

“Paul  and  Timothy,  servants  of  Christ  Jesus,  to 
all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus,  which  are  at  Philippi, 
with  the  bishops  and  deacons.”  This  is  the  title 
of  the  present  book. 

Authorship 

Of  the  genuineness  of  this  Epistle  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  The  internal  evidence,  language,  style,  and 
content  all  point  to  Paul.  The  external  testimony  is 
large,  since  the  early  fathers  and  writers  at  numer¬ 
ous  occasions  reproduced  from  it  words  and  expres¬ 
sions.  It  is  found  in  almost  all  ancient  lists  of  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament. 

Paul  came  to  Philippi  on  his  Second  Missionary 
Journey.  Quietly  his  labors  opened  at  the  river¬ 
side,  where  his  first  convert  in  Europe  was  won  to 
Christianity,  “Lydia,  the  seller  of  purple.”  Avarice 
caused  his  imprisonment  (Acts  16)  there,  but  having 
claimed  the  privilege  of  Roman  citizenship  he  and 
his  companion  were  released.  Paul  probably  re¬ 
visited  this  citv  several  times  afterwards.  A  mutual 

t/ 

attachment  arose  between  the  apostle  and  this 
church,  which  later  in  prison,  caused  Paul  to  yearn 
for  the  tender,  helpful  sympathy,  and  liberality 
which  was  characteristic  of  the  Philippians.  That 
this  was  the  only  church  from  which  Paul  was  will¬ 
ing  to  accept  help  was  a  striking  testimonial  for 
their  zeal  and  love.  This  letter  was  written  later 
than  the  three  which  Tychicus  and  Onesimus  bore 
to  Asia  and  contains  the  warmest  greetings  from 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


249 


the  imprisoned  apostle  and  his  sincere  gratefulness 
for  a  gift  which  they  had  sent  him  through  Epapliro- 
ditus  (2,25;  4,14),  and  also  contains  much  personal 
news,  such  as  friend  would  send  to  friend.  There 
was  no  crisis  at  Philippi  which  demanded  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  writer,  but  it  is  a  pastoral  letter  to  a 
devoted  congregation,  full  of  tender  expression  of 
ripe  Christian  experience. 

Contents 

Telling  them  of  his  own  circumstances,  he  dwells 
with  affectionate  friendship  also  upon  theirs.  He 
calls  them  saints  in  Christ,  4  4  his  brethren,  dearly  be¬ 
loved  and  longed  for,  his  joy  and  crown.”  He  men¬ 
tions  their  bishops  and  deacons  (1,1),  probably  be¬ 
cause  they  were  the  official  agents  through  whom 
the  gift  had  been  sent  to  the  apostle.  The  title 
“overseer,”  Episcopos,  was  replacing  “elder,” 
Presbyteros.  It  would  seem  that  the  term  Episcopos 
was  prevalent  among  the  Gentile  churches,  and  thus 
became  a  Hellenic  equivalent  for  the  Hebraic  “Pres¬ 
byteros.”  Already  the  Philippians  have  given  the 
apostle  much  satisfaction  and  he  entreats  that  they 
complete  the  joy  he  has  in  them.  In  the  face  of 
temptation  to  disunion,  he  exhorts  the  members  to 
cultivate  lowliness  and  unselfishness.  He  knows  this 
is  a  hard  lesson ;  precept  is  not  sufficient,  therefore 
he  points  to  the  example  of  Jesus.  The  church 
must  be  blameless  and  obedient  to  his  word.  Tim¬ 
othy  will  come  to  them  shortly,  Epaphroditus  has 
recovered  from  a  dangerous  illness,  Paul  will  send 
him  at  once  with  this  letter,  which  is  perhaps  the 
least  dogmatic,  but  full  of  expressions  of  Christian 
joy,  unity,  unselfishness,  and  humility. 


250 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


Division 

Cliapt.  1.  Greeting’s.  Paul’s  intercedes  on  behalf 
of  the  Philippians.  His  imprisonment  has  served  to 
further  the  Gospel.  He  hopes  that  conditions  may 
change  soon.  He  is  ready  to  glorify  Christ  and  to 
depart  from  this  world. 

2.  Unity  and  humility  are  essential  in  the  church. 
Christ  has  furnished  a  wonderful  example  of 
humility. 

3.  The  Christian  possesses  overwhelming  joy  in 
Christ.  Paul  counts  all  things  but  loss  that  he  might 
win  Christ.  He  “presses  toward  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

4.  Again  Paul  admonishes  to  holy  joy,  to  freedom 
from  care,  to  every  virtue.  The  gift  sent  him  is 
acknowledged  with  fine  courtesy  and  finally  God’s 
blessing  is  invoked  upon  the  givers,  and  greetings 
are  sent  from  all  the  saints  in  Rome  to  all  the  saints 
in  Philippi.  “The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  you  all.” 


LIII 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 


Title 

“Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  through  the  will 
of  God,  and  Timothy  our  brother,  to  the  saints  and 
faihtful  brethren  in  Christ  which  are  at  Colossae." 
Colossae  was  an  inland  city  of  Asia  Minor  situated 
on  the  river  Lycus,  ethnically  belonging  to  south¬ 
western  Phrygia,  politically  it  was  included  in  the 
Roman  proconsular  province  of  Asia  whose  capital 
was  Ephesus.  Paul  himself  had  not  been  the  found¬ 
er  of  this  church  according  to  2,1.  It  would  seem 
that  it  was  the  work  of  Epaphras,  who  had  possibly 
carried  the  Gospel  to  Colossae  during  Paul’s  resi¬ 
dence  at  Ephesus.  Philemon,  also  a  Colossian,  had 
been  one  of  Paul’s  converts  (Philem.  19)  and  he  too 
may  have  heard  the  apostle  at  Ephesus  and  carried 
the  glad  tidings  to  his  home  town.  Epaphras  had 
come  to  visit  Paul  in  captivity  at  Rome,  bringing  a 
good  report  of  the  general  condition  of  the  Colossian 
church,  at  the  same  time,  however,  filling  the 
apostle’s  mind  with  deep  anxiety  (2,1-4)  by  the  tid¬ 
ings  that  new  and  perilous  doctrines  were  gaining 
a  footing  here. 

Authorship 

The  partial  authenticity  of  this  Epistle  is  allowed 
even  by  many  critics.  It  is  therefore  hardly  neces¬ 
sary  to  show  that  it  is  thoroughly  Pauline  from  be¬ 
ginning  to  end  and  that  its  unity  stands  unimpaired. 
Internal  and  external  evidence  is  unbroken  and 
general,  and  there  can  not  be  any  serious  doubt  as 
to  the  Pauline  authorship.  The  letter  was  written 


252 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


during  the  captivity  of  the  apostle  in  Rome,  the  oc¬ 
casion  being  furnished  by  the  return  of  Tychicus 
and  Onesimus  to  Colossae,  the  former  carrying  in 
addition  to  this  letter  also  the  letter  to  the  Ephe¬ 
sians  and  Philemon. 

Contents 

The  new  insidious  form  of  false  teaching  which 
had  arisen  at  Colossae  was  a  combination  of  Jewish 
rites  with  a  mystic  theosophy,  undermining  the  be¬ 
lievers’  confidence  in  the  all-sufficiency  of  Christ’s 
sacrifice.  There  was  also  an  ascetic  tendency,  per¬ 
haps  because  it  was  considered  to  be  conducive  to 
spiritual  illumination.  The  whole  system  tended  to 
limit  the  authority  of  Christ,  and  yet  these  teachers 
still  assumed  the  character  of  Christian.  These 
errorists,  then,  were  philosophical,  Judaizing,  vis¬ 
ionary,  ascetic  Christians.  Paul  upholds  the  truth. 
The  Christology  here  is  of  the  same  type  as  that 
found  in  the  earlier  Epistles.  Christianity  is 
brought  into  conflict  with  a  Gnosticizing  Theosophy. 
Christ  and  his  work  are  exalted.  The  Christian 
finds  completeness  only  in  him.  Paul,  the  aged,  the 
worn,  languishing  under  the  hardships  of  imprison¬ 
ment, lacks  the  glow  and  vehemence  of  his  former 
letters.  This  letter  belongs  to  the  mellow  afternoon 
rather  than  to  the  noon  of  his  vigor  of  life. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-14.  The  writer  introduces  himself. 
Salutations. 

1,15-3.  Christ  is  All-sufficient. 

4.  True  Holiness  of  Life  is  Essential. 

Chapt.  1.  After  the  greetings,  Paul  recites  the 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


253 


good  report  heard,  in  regard  to  faith,  love,  hope 
and  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  fulness  of  Christ 
has  an  all  embracing  effect  of  reconciliation.  This 
is  the  world-wide  Gospel  which  Paul  announced. 

2.  The  threatening  dangers  may  be  avoided  if  the 
Christians  will  shun  philosophical  speculations  and 
vain  traditions.  False  teachings  are  refuted. 

3.  Positive  injunctions  set  forth  with  consider¬ 

able  fulness  the  true  Christian  life  in  its  practice,  as 
contrasted  with  asceticism  and  the  visionary  illusions 
of  theosophy.  The  duties  of  family  life  are 
enumerated.  * 

4.  Brief  exhortations  of  a  general  character  are 
added,  and  the  Epistle  concludes  with  personal 
messages  and  greetings,  and  is  sealed  by  the  writ¬ 
er’s  authenticating  signature  and  benediction. 


LIV 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 

Title 

“Paul,  and  Sylvanus,  and  Timothy,  unto  the 
church  of  the  Thessalonians  in  God  the  Father  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  Thessalonica  was  a  large 
seaport  of  Macedonia.  In  ancient  history  it  appears 
under  the  name  of  Therma,  so-called  from  the  hot 
springs  in  the  neighborhood.  Cassander,  King  of 
Macedonia,  rebuilt  the  city  and  called  it  Thessa¬ 
lonica  in  honor  of  his  wife,  the  half-sister  of  Alex¬ 
ander  the  Great.1  During  the  time  of  Paul,  Thessa¬ 
lonica  was  a  populous  and  flourishing  city,  chiefly 
inhabited  by  Greeks.  The  church  was  founded  by 
Paul  and  Silas  after  their  release  from  the  prison 
at  Philippi.2 

Authorship 

It  has  been  objected  against  the  genuineness  of 
this  letter  that  it  contains  only  a  single  statement  of 
doctrine,  whereas  Paul  usually  delights  to  present 
the  doctrinal  aspects  of  the  Gospel.  There  is  noth¬ 
ing  in  the  Epistle  at  variance  with  the  opinion  and 
spirit  of  Paul  and  such  similarities  of  traits  of  char¬ 
acter,  such  strong  individuality  impressed  upon  the 
work,  would  indeed  be  difficult  to  invent.  The  let¬ 
ter  may  well  be  considered  a  continuation  of  the 
personal  relationship  of  the  apostle  with  the  young 
and  flourishing  congregation  at  Thessalonica.  After 
a  brief  sojourn  of  about  three  or  four  weeks  the 
apostle  wished  to  re-visit  it,  but  obstacles  prevented 


tStrabo  VII.  Frag.  24. 
2Acts  17. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


this.  Timothy  had  been  sent  thither,  and  returned 
from  his  mission.  He  speaks  of  the  separation  from 
them  only  having  taken  place  a  short  time  ago.1  The 
time  probably  may  be  fixed  as  52  A.  D.,  and  the 
place  of  writing  was  Corinth.2  This  was  probably 
the  first  Epistle  of  Paul  preserved. 

Contents 

The  first  Epistle  was  written  partly  out  of  joy 
over  the  faith  of  church,  and  partly  on  account  of 
the  perils  threatening  the  young  congregation.  Some 
had  a  disposition  to  neglect  their  daily  work,  others 
feared  that  the  dead  saints  would  lose  their  part  in 
the  coming  kingdom,  and  again,  there  were  indica¬ 
tions  of  friction  in  the  church. 

The  Epistle  thus  becomes  a  warm  pastoral  letter, 
urging  industry  of  life,  assuring  the  living  that  the 
dead  will  not  be  at  a  disadvantage  at  the  Lord’s 
appearing  and  admonishes  to  peace  and  good  will, 
one  to  another. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-3.  Strengthening  of  the  Afflicted. 

4,1-12.  Warning  Against  Worldliness. 

4,13-5.  Teaching  in  regard  to  the  Second  Com¬ 
ing  of  Christ. 

Chapt.  1.  The  Thessalonians  are  commended  for 
their  faith  and  love. 

2.  The  writer  recounts  in  what  manner  the  Gospel 
was  preached  and  received  by  them.  They  are  fol¬ 
lowers  of  God  and  examples  to  others. 

tThess.  2,17. 

2The  note  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle  in  the  King  James’ 
Version,  stating  that  it  was  written  at  Athens  is  evi¬ 
dently  erroneous. 


256 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


3.  The  apostle  strengthens  them  by  the  great  love 
which  he  manifests  towards  them,  in  sending  Tim¬ 
othy  to  them. 

4.  The  Christian  must  live  a  godly  life,  love  his 
fellow  man,  sorrow  moderately  for  the  dead.  The 
resurrection  is  described. 

5.  Christ  comes  again  to  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead.  Exhortations  and  precepts  together  with  the 
greetings  conclude  this  letter. 


LV 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 

Title 

The  writer  prefaces  this  Epistle  with  the  same 
words  with  which  he  introduces  himself  and  the  re¬ 
cipients  of  his  first  letter,  Sylvanus  and  Timothy 
again  being  mentioned  as  before. 

Authorship 

The  external  evidence  is  in  favor  of  the  authentic¬ 
ity  of  this  second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians, 
neither  is  the  internal  evidence  in  any  way  deficient. 
The  character  of  Paul  is  impressed  upon  every  line. 

It  was  evidentlv  written  shortly  after  the  first, 
probably  around  53  A.  D. 

Contents 

A  peculiarity  of  this  Epistle  is  the  prediction  of 
the  “man  of  sin,”  contained  in  the  second  chapter 
(2,1-12),  which  distinguishes  itself  from  all  other 
writings  of  Paul  and  is  closely  allied  to  the  pro¬ 
phecies  of  Daniel  and  the  Apocalyptic  visions  of 
John.  It  is  natural  that  this  prediction  should  have 
peculiar  attraction  to  the  early  church,  suffering 
from  persecutions.  This  letter  was  occasioned  by 
further  reports  of  the  misapprehension  of  the  term 
“the  day  of  the  Lord,”  some  believing  that  it  had 
already  come  and  that  the  return  of  Christ  might 
be  expected  any  moment.  This  false  impression  had 
tempted  many  to  idleness  and  disorder  and  the 
apostle  hastens  to  correct  the  error. 

After  an  introduction  the  apostle  requests  that 


258 


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the  Thessalonians  be  not  disturbed  that  the  ‘‘day  of 
the  Lord”  was  present.  It  is  idle  to  speculate 
about  it.  This  day  shall  not  come  till  “the  man  of 
sin”  is  fully  revealed.  Repeated  commands  to  imi¬ 
tate  a  sober,  industrious  life,  and  to  separation  from 
everything  that  is  contrary  to  the  Lord’s  word, 
form  the  main  contents  of  this  letter. 

Division 

Chapt.  1,1-7.  Introduction. 

1,8-12.  The  apostle  corrects  erroneous  views  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  Second  Advent  of  Christ.  Wickedness 
must  first  reach  the  highest  degree,  then  judgment 
will  come. 

3.  The  writer  admonishes  to  watchfulness,  prayer 
and  words  of  love  and  hope.  Greetings  and  the 
benediction  form  the  close  of  this  letter. 


LVI 


THE  PASTORAL  EPISTLES 

A.  The  First  Epistle  to  Timothy- 

Title 

The  letters  to  Timothy  and  Titus  are  called  pas¬ 
toral  letters,  because  they  contain  directions  for 
pastoral  work.  “Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ 
our  hope,  unto  Timothy,  my  true  child  in  the  faith. 
This  is  the  title  of  the  present  letter. 

On  his  second  visit  to  Lystra  Paul  finds  Timothy 

and  his  mother  Eunice,  believers.1  Instructed  and 

brought  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 

Lord  he  knew  the  Scriptures  from  his  childhood 

days.  He  served  the  apostle  and  the  church  in  a 

most  devoted  and  faithful  manner.  Timothv  fol- 

«/ 

lowed  the  apostle  into  his  first  Roman  captivity,  but 
his  permanent  place  of  residence  at  last  was 
Ephesus,  where  according  to  tradition  he  died  the 
martyr’s  death  as  a  Christian  bishop. 

Authorship 

The  genuineness  of  the  Epistles  to  Timothy  and 
Titus  has  been  doubted  by  many  critical  scholars, 
some  alleging  that  they  are  plainly  directed  against 
the  second  century  heresies,  mainly  Gnostic.  Others 
argue  that  the  stress  laid  on  church  organization  is 
a  development  of  the  post-apostolic  age.  And  again 
it  is  claimed  that  the  teaching  and  style  of  the  pas¬ 
toral  Epistles  is  utterly  unpauline.  But  this  criti¬ 
cism  may  be  met  by  a  greater  array  of  opposing 
considerations.  It  will  be  noted  that  already  at  the 


^Acts  16,1  fg.;  2  Timothy  1,5. 


260 


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time  of  the  authorship  of  the  Epistle  to  Colossians 
similar  heresies  were  found  to  exist  among  the 
Christians  at  Colossae,  namely  a  Gnosticism  with 
distinctly  Jewish  color,  such  as  is  found  in  the  pas¬ 
toral  letters.  This  fact  then  becomes  really  weighty 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  pastoral  letters,  since  the 
references  to  “myths  and  endless  genealogies^  fit 
better  in  the  first  than  the  second  century. 

The  stress  on  church  organization,  the  terms 
“presbyter,”  “bishop,”  and  “deacon”  were  cer¬ 
tainly  in  usage  at  this  period,  but  bishops  with 
settled  dioceses  did  not  exist  at  this  time.  They  are 
simply  overseers  of  the  flock,  local  pastors.  The 
internal  evidence  as  regards  style,  diction,  doctrine, 
sentiment,  allusions  to  men  and  things  and  places 
are  in  full  accordance  with  the  testimony  of  the 
apostolic  fathers  and  later  writers  which  undoubt¬ 
edly  assign  these  Epistles  to  Paul.1  These  letters 
must  be  assigned  to  a  time  posterior  to  that  em¬ 
braced  in  the  narrative  of  Luke  in  the  Acts.  At  the 
end  of  two  years’  imprisonment  Paul  probably  was 
released  and  again  resumed  his  work  as  an  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles.  Eusebius,  who  was  the  great  col¬ 
lector  of  history  from  works  now  lost,  and  of  tradi¬ 
tions  current  in  the  early  church,  after  citing  the 
closing  words  of  Acts,  relates2  that  the  current  ac¬ 
count  was  that  “the  apostle,  having  then  made  his 
defense,  afterwards  started  again  on  his  work  of 
preaching,  but  that  having  come  to  Rome  a  second 
time,  he  was  perfect  by  martyrdom,  at  which  time, 

iClement  of  Rome  96  A.  D. ;  Ignatius  110  A.  D.;  Poly¬ 
carp  110  A.  D. ;  Eusebius  340  A.  D. ;  Theodret  457  A.  D. ; 
Jerome  420  A.  D. 

2Eccl.  Hist.  11,22. 


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261 


being  imprisoned,  he  wrote  the  Epistle  to  Timothy. 
Clement  of  Rome,  likewise,  seems  to  indicate1  that 
Paul  visited  Spain  immediately  before  his  departure 
from  life.  The  Acts  do  not  record  his  visit  to  the 
West,  which  must  have  taken  place  after  the  im¬ 
prisonment  mentioned  at  the  close  of  the  work  of 
Luke.  The  testimony  of  other  earlier  writers  bears 
out  these  facts.  It  would  seem  clear  then,  that  these 
letters  were  written  subsequently  to  Paul’s  im¬ 
prisonment  in  Rome  related  in  Acts  28,  and  shortly 
before  his  martyrdom  in  the  imperial  city  as  related 
in  ecclesiastical  history,  possibly  65  or  66  A.  D.2 

Contents 

As  to  contents  and  style  the  three  Epistles  plainly 
indicate  a  common  source.  Paul  having  left  Titus 
in  the  oversight  of  the  churches  of  Crete,  and  Tim¬ 
othy  in  that  of  the  church  at  Ephesus,  writes  prac¬ 
tical  instructions  to  both,  how  to  rule  and  order  the 
churches  committed  to  their  care.  The  conduct  of 
public  prayers,  the  discipline  of  the  church  and 
character  of  the  clergy,  warnings  in  regard  to  the 
existing  heresies,  and  a  few  directions  peculiar  to 
each,  make  up  the  contents. 

The  second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  however,  is  some¬ 
what  different  in  nature.  Timothy  receives  direc¬ 
tions  in  stress  of  trying  circumstances,  persecution 
and  heresies  as  to  how  to  meet  them.  A  brief 
statement  of  the  apostle’s  condition  in  Rome  and  an 
urgent  entreaty  to  Timothy,  twice  repeated,  to 

lEpistle  Corinth,  p.  10. 

2The  note  at  the  end  of  this  letter  in  the  King  James’ 
Version  stating  that  it  was  written  from  Laodicea  is 
erroneous. 


262 


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hasten  to  him,  concludes  the  second  Epistle. 

The  first  Epistle  to  Timothy  warns  Timothy  against 
false  teachers  of  the  law.  He  needs  stirring  up  to 
a  spotless  life.  No  one  need  to  despise  his  youth, 
but  he  is  to  be  an  example  to  all.  The  bodily  weak¬ 
ness  should  receive  due  consideration.  Growing 
heresies  should  be  withstood  and  friction  in  the  gov¬ 
ernment  of  the  church  be  removed. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Directions  to  meet  Jewish-Gnostic 
Heresies. 

2-3.  Directions  for  orderly  conditions  in  the 
church. 

4-6.  Timothy’s  Personal  Conduct. 

Chapt.  1.  After  the  greeting,  Timothy  is  exhorted 
to  keep  sound  doctrine.  This  charge  is  to  hold 
against  all  heresies. 

2.  Public  worship  is  to  be  conducted  orderly. 
Women  should  not  teach  publicly  in  the  congrega¬ 
tion,  but  learn  to  be  silent. 

3.  The  officers  in  the  church  must  have  special 
qualifications. 

4.  Timothy  is  exhorted  to  be  a  true  teacher  of 
the  mystery  of  godliness. 

5.  Directions  are  given  how  to  treat  old,  widows, 
servants  and  those  who  err. 

6.  His  life  should  be  free  from  worldliness,  his 
faith  should  be  manifested  in  his  walk.  False  teach¬ 
ing  must  be  avoided. 

B.  The  Epistle  to  Timothy 

Title 

“To  Timothy,  my  dearly  beloved  son.” 


It  is  with 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


263 


these  words  of  tender  affection  that  Paul  addresses 
Timothy.  The  writer  is  again  a  captive,  and  it  is 
possible  that  this  is  the  last  of  all  the  Epistles  written 
by  Paul.  He  is  chained  and  In  bonds,  but  friends 
may  visit  him.  “Demas  has  gone  back  to  the  world, 
Crescens  is  working  in  Galatia,  Titus  in  Dalmatia, 
Luke  only  is  with  Paul.”  The  prisoner  longs  for 
the  company  of  Timothy  who  is  to  bring  Mark  with 
him.  The  shadows  of  approaching  death  are  hover¬ 
ing  over  him,  and  the  Lord  has  in  store  for  him  the 
crown  of  righteousness.  The  Epistle  was  written 
probably  about  66  A.  D. 

Contents 

After  greeting  and  thanksgiving,  Timothy  is  ex¬ 
horted  to  steadfastness  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
Courage  and  constancy  are  to  mark  his  life.  He  is 
avoid  strife  of  words  and  is  enjoined  to  have  the 
true  word  preached  against  the  false  teachers.  The 
apostle  in  his  utter  loneliness  bids  Timothy  hasten 
to  him  lest  he  should  fail  to  see  him. 

Division 

Chapt.  1-2.  Exhortations  to  Courage  in  Suffer¬ 
ing,  to  Confession  of  Faith. 

3-4.  Directions  for  Right  Administration  of  his 
Office. 

Chapt.  1.  Timothy  must  not  be  ashamed  of  the 
Gospel  as  neither  Paul  and  Onesiphorus  from 
Ephesus  were  ashamed. 

2.  He  must  show  himself  a  good  warrior  of  Christ, 
and  be  grounded  in  faith  and  teaching  upon  the 
foundation  of  God. 

3.  The  errorists  in  the  church  must  be  reproved 


264 


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through  the  rightful  preaching*  of  the  everlasting 
Gospel. 

4.  And  in  spite  of  all  tribulations,  Timothy  must 
remain  faithful  as  Paul  remained  faithful  even  in 
the  face  of  death.  With  personal  direction  and 
salutations  this  last  letter  of  Paul  comes  to  a  close. 

C.  The  Epistle  to  Titus 

Title 

“To  Titus  mine  own  son  after  the  common  faith.” 
This  is  the  title  of  the  third  pastoral  letter.  Titus, 
a  Greek,  probably  from  Antioch,  had  become  a 
Christian  on  Paul’s  First  Missionary  Journey,  (Gal. 
2,3;  Tit.  1,4). 

A  steady  companion  of  Paul  he  was  at  different 
occasions  entrusted  with  special  errands  in  behalf 
of  the  cause  of  the  Gospel.  When  Paul  had  re¬ 
gained  his  freedom  after  the  first  captivity  he  had 
left  Titus  in  the  island  of  Crete  to  continue  the  work 
begun  here  by  the  apostle. 

According  to  tradition,  having  visited  Paul  at 
Rome  and  having  ministered  unto  him  until  the 
last,  he  returned  to  Crete,  where  he  remained  as 
bishop  till  his  death.  The  Epistle  is  probably  writ¬ 
ten  between  the  first  and  second  letters  to  Timothy, 
about  65  A.  D. 

Contents 

The  general  instructions  are  very  similar  to  those 
of  1  Timothy.  Numerous  defects  were  found  in  the 
new  church  in  the  island  of  Crete.  The  people  were 
notoriously  corrupt,  deceptive  and  inclined  to  idle¬ 
ness.  Besides  this,  Jewish  errorists,  false  teachers, 
had  found  their  way  into  the  midst  of  these  Chris- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


26£ 

tians,  who  opposed  sound  doctrine  and  proved  very 
unruly,  disturbing  and  unsettling  the  faith  of  many. 

Paul  tells  Titus  what  sort  of  an  organization  he 
should  establish,  of  what  nature  an  elder  should  be, 
and  why  such  men  are  needed ;  he  prescribes  the 
virtues  of  a  domestic  and  social  life  among  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  men  and  closes  with  a 
warning  against  the  false  teachers  and  a  series  of 
personal  directions.  The  apostle  is  deeply  grieved 
over  the  conduct  of  many  of  the  Cretans,  for  he 
sends  greetings  only  to  those  who  love  him.  “Filthy 
lucre”  and  heresy  had  caused  great  trouble  in  the 
church. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Qualification  of  Ministers. 

2-3.  The  Pure  Doctrine  and  Its  Defense. 

Chapt.  1.  True  ministers  and  evil  teachers  are 
described. 

2.  Titus  is  admonished  to  right  conduct  in  life 
and  teaching. 

3.  A  life  in  God  will  produce  the  right  conduct  to¬ 
wards  authority  and  all  men.  Personal  directions 
and  greetings  close  the  letter. 


LVII 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 

Title 

“Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  Timothy 
our  brother,  to  Philemon  our  beloved  fellow-worker 
and  to  Apphia  our  sister,  and  to  Archippus  our  fel- 
lew-soldier,  and  to  the  church  in  thy  house.”  Phil¬ 
emon,  his  wife  Apphia,  his  son  Archippus,  and 
the  church  which  gathered  in  their  home  at  Col- 
ossae  are  thus  addressed  by  the  writer. 

Authorship 

This  brief  Epistle  bears  directly  and  vividly  the 
stamp  of  Pauline  genuineness.  It  is  the  only  speci¬ 
men  of  Paul’s  private  correspondence.  Tychicus, 
who  bore  the  letter  to  the  Colossians,  also  carried 
this  one  to  Philemon. 

Contents 

Philemon,  a  well  to  do  Christian,  owned  a  slave 
named  Onesimus,  who  ran  away,  came  to  Paul  in 
Rome  and  was  converted.  Evidently  Onesimus  put 
himself  entirely  into  the  hands  of  Paul.  The  apostle 
at  once  saw  the  possibility  of  great  service  of  the 
former  slave  to  the  church,  and  an  attachment  hav¬ 
ing  sprung  up  between  the  aged  man  and  the  youth, 
Paul  writes  this  charming  letter  of  respect  and  love 
to  his  master.  The  resentment  of  a  master  toward 
a  runaway  slave  would  be  hard  to  endure.  The 
apostle  therefore  took  every  means  in  his  power  to 
ensure  a  full  and  ready  forgiveness.  The  sum  of 
which,  possibly,  Onesimus  had  defrauded  his  master 
the  writer  gave  his  personal  undertaking  to  repay. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


267 


Tychicus,  the  trusted  brother,  is  made  the  messenger. 
Paul  with  wonderful  tact  and  refinement  enters 
upon  the  solution  of  the  troublesome  question,  not 
only  of  Onesimus,  but  of  all  slaves.  They  are  no 
longer  chattels  of  their  masters,  but  if  redeemed  in 
Christ,  precious  in  the  sight  of  God.  All  Christians 
are  brothers,  free  or  slave.  But  Paul  does  not  com¬ 
mand,  he  simply  entreats.  Philemon  is  urged  to 
receive  him  as  “more  than  a  servant,  even  as  a 
brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  but  how  much 
more  to  thee,  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord.” 
At  the  conclusion  the  writer  hopes  to  visit  Philemon. 
Those  with  him  send  greetings. 


LVII 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


Title 

The  designation  “To  the  Hebrews**  PROS 
EBRAIOLTS,  was  not  originally  found  in  the  text, 
but  is  a  later  addition.  The  internal  evidence 
indicates,  however,  that  the  letter  was  sent  to 
Christians  of  Jewish  race,  residing  in  some  definite 
locality.  This  conclusion  follows  from  the  refer¬ 
ence  made  to  the  past  experiences  of  the  readers, 
their  departed  leaders  (3,7),  and  the  expressed  in¬ 
tention  of  the  writer  to  visit  them  (13,19,23). 
Chrysostom,  and  the  Greek  fathers  generally  sup¬ 
posed  that  the  readers  were  to  be  located  in  Pales¬ 
tine.  Others  have  thought  of  Antioch,  others  again 
Rome,  and  still  others  Spain.  But  this  cannot  be 
determined.  The  locality1  from  which  this  letter 
was  written  is  equally  uncertain.  The  expression 
“they  of  Italy  salute  you”  does  not  settle  the  ques¬ 
tion  since  it  may  mean  any  person  who  had  come 
from  Italy.  The  readers  are  in  great  tribulation, 
but  which  persecution  of  a  general  nature  was  in 
progress  at  the  time  of  writing  can  only  be  a  mat¬ 
ter  of  conjecture.  If,  however,  it  is  true,  as  may  be 
inferred  from  the  allusions  to  the  temple  and  its 
services,  found  in  this  work,  that  it  was  written 
while  the  temple  was  still  standing,  which  must 
have  been  before  70  A.  D.,  then  it  is  possible  to 
think  of  the  readers  as  suffering  from  the  persecu¬ 
tion  which  broke  out  over  the  Christians  of  Pales¬ 
tine  and  neighboring  territory  after  the  death  of 

fThe  note  at  the  end  of  the  letter  in  the  King  James 
Version,  stating  that  it  was  sent  from  Italy,  is  uncertain. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


269 


Stephen.  In  that  case  the  readers  could  be  located 
in  Palestine  or  the  adjoining  countries. 

Authorship 

The  Epistle  itself  is  anonymous,  no  intimation  of 
the  writer’s  name  being  given  anywhere.  Clement 
Romanus  quotes  it  at  the  end  of  the  first  century, 
but  he  does  not  mention  the  author.  Tertullian 
mentions  Barnabas  as  the  writer.  Clement  Alexand- 
rinus  and  others,  on  account  of  the  pure  classic 
Greek  and  certain  similarity  of  expression  between 
the  Acts  and  this  Epistle,  have  ascribed  it  to  Luke. 
Some  have  named  Clement  of  Rome,  and  Luther 
Apollo  as  the  author. 

Old  tradition  in  the  East,  and  this  was  followed 
by  many  for  generations,  designated  Paul  as  the 
author.  But  there  are  weighty  reasons  why  this 
viewpoint  cannot  be  accepted.  The  Greek  employed 
is  different  from  Paul’s  style  of  writing.  The 
phraseology,  and  peculiarity  of  expression  found  in 
all  of  Paul’s  writings,  is  lacking.  The  rhetorical 
fulness,  and  beauty  of  speech,  built  up  carefully  in 
long  periods,  are  absolutely  foreign  to  Paul’s  writ¬ 
ings.  It  is  likely  that  some  associate  of  Paul  who 
was  familiar  with  his  teaching  and  who  had  been 
impressed  with  his  views,  a  disciple  of  the  great 
apostle,  was  the  author  of  this  letter. 

For  some  time,  on  account  of  its  anonymity,  the 
canonicity  of  the  letter  was  questioned  by  the  East¬ 
ern  and  Western  church,  and  the  work  was  counted 
among  the  Antilegomena,  i.  e.  to  those  writings 
whose  authenticity  was  not  recognized  by  all  con¬ 
gregations.  At  length,  however,  it  came  to  be  fully 
recognized  in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East  in 


270 


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spite  of  former  prejudice.  The  time  of  writing  may 
be  assumed  to  have  been  between  62-70  A.  D. 

Contents 

The  Epistle  is  not  so  much  expository  as  horta¬ 
tory.  The  great  subject  is:  Our  High  Priest.  He  is 
shown  to  be  superior  to  all  prophets  and  angels,  and 
his  DIATHEKE,  covenant,  to  be  preferred  to  that 
of  the  Old  Testament,  which  presents  only  shadows 
of  that  of  which  the  new  is  the  substance.  The  read¬ 
ers  are  in  danger  of  apostasy  from  their  faith  and 
to  relapse  into  the  old  Judaism  which  they  had  in¬ 
bibed  in  their  childhood.  Jewish  religion,  the 
temple,  the  high  priestly  office,  the  various  appoint¬ 
ments,  all  these  seemed  to  exercise  considerable  in¬ 
fluence  upon  them.  Added  to  these  things  were  the 
many  afflictions.  The  readers  become  faint-hearted 
and  like  their  fathers,  are  dissatisfied  and  ready  to 
forsake  Christ.  He  must  be  exalted  before  them  in 
opposition  to  the  legal  observances  and  strange 
doctrines.  Christ  is  the  eternal  son  of  the  father, 
the  true  great  high  priest,  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chizedek.  He  saves  and  intercedes  in  the  heavenly 
sanctuary.  Faith,  patience,  and  perseverence  are 
the  virtues  of  the  true  believer.  The  glory  of  the 
new  covenant  will  be  greater  than  of  the  old.  Fol¬ 
lowers  of  the  departed  teachers,  sharing  their  faith 
and  hope,  shall  be  partakers  of  the  heavenly  glory. 

Division.  Chapt.  1-5.  Concerning  Jesus. 

a.  He  is  greater  than  the  Angels. 

b.  He  is  greater  than  Moses. 

c.  He  is  greater  than  Joshua. 

d.  He  is  greater  than  Aaron. 

6.  Transition. 


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271 


7=10.  Jesus  the  Great  High  Priest. 

10-13.  Exhortations  to  Remain  Faithful. 

Chapt.  1.  Christ  is  preferred  above  the  angels, 
both  in  person  and  office. 

2.  Everything  shall  be  subjected  unto  Christ  by 
virtue  of  his  humiliation. 

3.  Christ  should  be  regarded  more  than  Moses 
because  he  is  more  worthy. 

4.  Rest  for  the  believer  is  attained  by  faith. 
He  must  go  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace.  Faith  is 
the  means  of  obtaining  the  promise. 

5.  Christ  the  high  priest  encourages  to  strong 
faith. 

6.  The  writer  endeavors  again  to  lay  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  faith  for  the  readers,  and  admonishes  to  re¬ 
main  steadfast  in  hope.  Jesus  and  Melchizedek. 

7.  The  glory  of  Christ’s  priesthood  is  greater 
than  that  of  Melchizedek. 

8.  Christ  intercedes.  He  has  established  a  new 
covenant. 

9.  The  old  covenant  was  imperfect.  Christ  has 
made  an  all  sufficient  sacrifice  and  atonement  for  sin. 

10.  The  sacrifices  of  the  law  were  insufficient. 
Christ’s  offering  has  taken  away  the  sin  of  all  be¬ 
lievers.  These  must  hold  fast  to  that  faith. 

11.  The  essence  of  faith  is  confidence,  as  seen  in 
the  examples  of  the  fathers. 

12.  Christ’s  patience  is  an  example  to  faith  and 
godliness. 

13.  Divers  admonitions  as  to  charity,  honesty,  are 
enjoined.  Strange  doctrines  must  be  avoided. 
Christ  is  to  be  confessed.  The  letter  closes  with  a 
salutation. 


LIX 

THE  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES 

This  book  begins  the  series  of  General  Epistles, 
which  closes  with  Jnde. 

Title 

“James,  a  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesns 
Christ,  to  the  twelve  tribes,  which  are  of  the  dis¬ 
persion.”  The  position  and  character  of  the  writer 
imply  that  the  Epistle  was  addressed  to  Jewish 
Christians,  its  contents  also  pointing  in  that  direc¬ 
tion.  The  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  that  is,  the  true 
Israel  which  had  accepted  the  Messiah  as  their  king, 
are  addressed  by  James.  The  manuscripts  ascribe 
this  work  to  him. 

Authorship 

Of  the  many  persons  known  in  sacred  history 
by  this  name,  which  James  is  the  writer?  Eight 
are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament.  By  identifi¬ 
cation  these  eight  names  may  be  reduced  to  three 
distinct  persons  who  are  known  to  the  apostolic 
church  under  this  name,  namely  James  the  son  of 
Zebedee,  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  one  of  the 
twelve,  and  James  the  “brother  of  the  Lord.”  The 
writer  could  not  have  been  James  the  brother  of 
John,  as  he  was  put  to  death  by  Herod  before  the 
Epistle  was  written.1  The  author  was  likely  the 
James  who  figured  so  prominently  in  the  church  at 
Jerusalem.  Every  notice,  Scriptural,  historical,  and 
legendary,  connects  him  with  this  city,  and  no  other 
place  has  ever  been  suggested. 

lExtra-biblical  sources  bearing  on  this  period  are 
Josephus,  Antiq.  20,9.1,  Eusebius  HE  II, III. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


273 


At  various  times  the  authenticity  of  the  Epistle 
has  been  questioned.  Eusebius  ranks  this  letter 
among’  the  Antilegomena.  Nevertheless,  it  was  gen¬ 
erally  read  in  the  churches.  Again  at  the  time  of 
the  Reformation  the  book  was  subjected  to  close 
scrutiny.  Luther  rejected  it  as  Canonical  on 
grounds  of  internal  evidence  and  its  supposed  op¬ 
position  to  Pauline  teaching  and  alleged  legalism. 
These  peculiarities  are,  however,  most  easily  ex¬ 
plained  by  assigning  it  to  a  very  early  date,  and  the 
assumption  that  it  was  addressed  especially  to  Jew¬ 
ish  Christians.  The  date  of  writing  is  probably 
50  A.  D. 

Contents 

The  contents  cannot  be  properly  understood,  un¬ 
less  it  is  remembered  that  those  to  whom  it  was  ad¬ 
dressed  were  Jewish  Christians.  The  readers  are 
exhorted  to  be  patient  under  the  trials  to  which  they 
were  exposed.  Persecutions  by  the  Jews  abounded. 
The  writer,  however,  is  not  unmindful  of  the  needs 
of  his  readers  along  general  lines  and  takes  occa¬ 
sion  to  warn  against  various  sins  and  evil  tendencies 
bv  which  thev  were  endangered.  A  formal  faith 
without  the  fruits,  good  works,  is  condemned.  The 
evils  of  a  social  nature,  of  the  tongue,  of  inclination 
to  quarrel,  of  over  self  confidence,  of  oppression 
by  the  rich  are  rebuked,  and  the  book  closes  with 
exhortations  to  patience,  long-suffering,  and  advice 
as  to  conduct  during  sickness.  This  book  is  often 
called  the  Epistle  of  Social  Justice. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Faith  must  reveal  itself  in  enduring 
afflictions.  It  is  better  to  hear  than  to  speak ;  but 


274 


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one  must  not  only  be  a  hearer,  but  also  a  doer  of 
the  word. 

2.  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  The  law  of 
love  is  impartial.  Partiality  leads  to  judgment. 
Faith  without  works  is  dead. 

3.  The  sins  of  the  tongue  are  manifold.  They 
lead  to  jealousy  and  factions.  The  tongue  must  be 
bridled.  It  is  an  instrument  of  much  good,  or 
great  harm. 

4.  Covetousness,  intemperance,  pride,  are  un¬ 
worthy  of  the  Christian.  He,  ever  mindful  of  the 
uncertainty  of  life,  commits  himself  and  all  his 
affairs  to  the  provident  care  of  God. 

5.  The  wicked  rich  will  feel  the  vengeance  of 
God.  In  adversity  men  ought  to  pray  and  acknowl¬ 
edge  mutually  their  faults.  Spiritual  help  extended 
to  the  weak  brings  much  bliss. 


LX 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  PETER 


Title 

“Peter,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  elect, 
who  are  sojourners  of  the  Dispersion  in  Pontus, 
Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,”  thus  the 
writer  introduces  himself  and  those  whom  he  ad¬ 
dresses. 

Authorship 

There  is  no  dispute  that  Simon  Peter,  one  of  the 
twelve,  is  the  author  of  this  letter.  Internal  as  well 
as  external  evidence  clearly  indicates  this  fact.  Poly¬ 
carp  (156  A.  D.),  Papias  (140  A.  D.),  The  Shepherd 
of  Hermas  (140  A.  D.),  Justin  Martyr  (164  A.  D.), 
Tertullian  (220  A.  D.),  Origen  (254  A.  D.),  are 
among  the  prominent  fathers  who  testify  to  its  gen¬ 
uineness.  It  is  addressed  to  the  “strangers”  or 
Jewish  converts  dwelling  in  the  countries  named  in 
the  title.  The  date  of  the  Epistle  is  somewhere  be¬ 
tween  64-67  A.  D.  But  where  was  it  written?  From 
5,13  it  would  appear  that  the  letter  originated  at 
Babylon.  Some  modern  and  ancient  writers  have 
held  the  view  that  Peter  is  using  the  word  “Baby¬ 
lon”  metaphorically,  as  a  cryptograph  and  that  he 
was  really  writing  from  Rome.  The  absence  of  a 
notice  of  a  Babylonian  church  does  not  prove  that 
Christianity  had  never  been  presented  there.  It  is 
indisputable  that  many  Jews  resided  in  that  city 
and  Peter  certainly  was  chiefly  the  apostle  to  the 
Jews.  According  to  tradition  Peter  labored,  and 
died  a  martyr’s  death  in  Rome.  If  this  Epistle, 


276 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


however,  were  written  at  that  place,  would  it  not 
seem  strange  that  no  mention  is  made  of  Paul  or  his 
companions?  The  metaphorical  use  of  Babylon  is 
not  sufficiently  evident,  to  name  Rome  as  the  place 
of  writing,  and  there  can  be  no  serious  objection  to 
assume  that  it  was  the  city  of  Babylon.  The  Chris¬ 
tians  of  Asia  were  enduring  great  trials  and  afflic¬ 
tions.  The  Evil  One  was  raging ;  actual  persecu¬ 
tion  was  imminent.  The  Christians  must  be  able  to 
withstand  the  prospective  fiery  trials  awaiting  them. 

Contents 

On  the  day  of  Pentecost  Peter  began  his  ministry 
“with  many  words  and  exhortations;”  again  he 
writes  “exhorting  and  testifying  that  this  is  the 
true  grace  of  God,  wherein  stand  ye  fast.”  The 
letter  is  full  of  exhortations  and  consolations.  The 
readers  must  hold  fast  to  the  faith.  Christ  suffered 
and  endured,  so  his  followers  must  do  likewise.  De¬ 
liverance  will  come  in  the  end  and  outweigh  all  suf¬ 
ferings  and  hardships  endured  on  earth. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Peter  thanks  God  for  the  manifold 
graces.  Salvation  comes  through  Christ  as  is  pro¬ 
phesied  of  old.  Fruits  of  true  piety  only  will  abide. 

2.  Christians  are  to  be  charitable ;  they  are  built 
upon  the  foundation  which  is  Christ.  Fleshly  lusts 
and  disobedience  are  to  be  avoided. 

3.  The  duties  of  wives  and  husbands  are  described. 
Unity  and  love  must  prevail.  Christ’s  example  is 
to  be  followed. 

4.  The  battle  against  sin  is  to  be  continued. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


277 


Prayer  and  a  holy  life  are  the  marks  of  the  Christian. 
Suffering*  will  prove  and  strengthen  him. 

5.  The  elders  are  exhorted  to  feed  their  flocks. 
The  younger  ones  must  be  obedient  and  all  must 
prove  themselves  sober  and  watchful.  Greetings 
from  the  church  at  Babylonia  and  Marcus,  together 
with  the  final  salutation  conclude  the  Epistle. 


LXI 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  OF  PETER 

Title 

“Simon  Peter,  a  servant  and  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  them  that  have  obtained  a  like  precious 
faith  with  us  in  the  righteousness  of  our  God  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  ’’  This  is  the  title  which  the 
writer  himself  gives  his  work.  It  was  evidently 
addressed  to  Jewish  Christians  in  general,  to  whom 
the  majesty  of  Christ  is  exalted  in  the  hope  that  the 
readers  may  be  strengthened.  It  was  probably  writ¬ 
ten  about  67.  The  apostle  is  looking  forward  to  the 
putting  off  of  his  earthly  tabernacle. 

Authorship 

That  Peter  wrote  this  Epistle  has  been  vehemently 
contested  by  many  ancient  and  modern  scholars. 
The  reasons  for  the  discarding  of  his  authorship 
are  not  conclusive.  On  the  contrary,  the  Epistle 
bears  the  strongest  testimony  to  its  own  genuineness. 
Why  should  the  writer’s  claims  be  lightly  set  aside? 
For  he  repeatedly  aserts  himself  as  the  apostle 
Peter,  so  plainly,  so  deliberately,  that  it  is  hard  on 
the  hypothesis  of  imitation,  to  free  him  from  the 
charge  of  falsifying  if  the  author  is  not  Peter  the 
apostle.  In  addition  to  these  assertions  there  are 
allusions  (2,14,18)  which  point  back  to  Peter’s  early 
occupation,  and  in  Chapter  2  and  3  to  the  solemn 
discourse  of  the  Lord  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  This 
letter  possesses  an  authority,  holy  beauty,  Petrine 
spirit  which  certainly  do  honor  to  Peter,  the  author. 

Contents 

False  teachings  and  a  looseness  in  morals  en- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


279 


dangered  the  spiritual  life  of  the  readers.  The 
apostate  Christians,  who  deny  the  Lord,  and  who 
listen  to  fables,  are  reproved  and  the  faithful  are 
encouraged  to  growth  in  grace  and  in  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  Jesus. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Exhortations  to  a  Christian  Life. 

2-3.  Warnings  Against  False  Prophets. 

Chapt.  1.  The  high  calling  and  election  must  be 
made  sure.  The  writer  has  done  this,  knowing  that 
his  death  is  at  hand. 

2.  False  teachers  and  their  followers  will  be  pun¬ 
ished.  A  type  of  this  punishment  is  seen  already  in 
the  Old  Testament. 

3.  Christ  will  surely  come  for  judgment ;  this  day 
is  described.  Patience  and  growth  in  grace  are  vir¬ 
tues  of  the  faithful. 


LXII 


THE  THREE  EPISTLES  OF  JOHN 


Title 

None  of  the  three  Epistles  in  question  bears  any 
title,  name  or  any  definite  indication  of  the  writer. 

Authorship 

In  spite  of  the  absence  of  any  specific  title,  the 
authorship  is  not  really  doubtful.  The  character¬ 
istics  found  here,  the  profundity  of  thought  and 
simplicity  of  language,  are  but  echoes  of  the  fourth 
Gospel  ascribed  to  John.  If  the  Gospel  were  want¬ 
ing  there  might  be  doubt  as  to  who  wrote  the  First 
Epistle ;  if  the  First  Epistle  were  wanting  there 
might  be  an  uncertainty  as  to  wdio  wrote  the  Second 
and  the  Third.  A  careful  examination  will  necessar¬ 
ily  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  these  four  books  are 
from  the  pen  of  one  and  the  same  author,  the 
apostle  John,  the  beloved  disciple  of  the  Lord.  The 
First  Epistle  was  known  to  Polycarp  (156  A.  D.), 
Papias  (140  A.  D.),  Clement  of  Alexandria  (220 
A.  D.),  Origen  (254  A.  D.),  Cyprian  ,258  A.  D.).  The 
external  evidence  for  the  Second  and  Third  Epistle, 
though  less  ample,  is  sufficient  to  ascribe  them  to  the 
same  author.  The  internal  evidence  of  all  three 
points  to  one  and  the  same  source. 

John’s  abode,  during  the  later  years  of  his  life, 
was  Ephesus,  and  this  city  is  doubtless  the  place 
where  they  were  written.  Their  tone  is  that  of  an 
old  man  writing  to  a  younger  generation.  The  in- 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


281 


ternal  relation  between  the  Gospel  and  the  First 
Epistle  strongly  favor  the  view  that  they  were  writ¬ 
ten  about  the  same  time.  The  Second  implies  the 
existence  of  the  First  and  must  have  been  produced 
after  it.  It  may  safely  be  assumed,  therefore,  that 
the  Gospels  and  all  three  Epistles  were  written  in 
the  old  age  of  John  between  80  A.  D.  and  95  A.  D. 

To  whom  were  these  Epistles  addressed?  The 
First  is  of  a  general  nature.  It  has  no  special  super¬ 
scription,  but  is  sent  to  the  church  at  large.  The 
destination  of  the  Second  Epistle,  the  “elect  lady” 
has  been  thought  by  some  to  have  indicated  a  prom¬ 
inent  Christian  woman.  However,  individual  rela¬ 
tionship  is  entirely  lacking,  but  an  aggregation  of 
persons  seems  implied.  Therefore  the  term  “elect 
lady,”  KYRIA,  is  doubtless  an  allegorical  expres¬ 
sion  to  signify  the  church. 

The  third  letter  is  addressed  to  a  certain  Gaius,  a 
hospitable,  godly  man,  of  whom  nothing  definite 
is  known  from  other  sources. 

I  Epistle 

Contents 

The  First  Epistle  is  written  to  solve  the  problems 
which  the  teaching  of  an  insidious  Gnosticism  raised 
in  the  minds  of  the  believers.  It  is  a  companion  to 
the  Gospel  and  lays  the  foundations  of  Christian 
conduct  as  a  whole.  The  second  letter  deals  with  the 
same  problem  as  it  affects  a  church,  whilst  the  third 
deals  with  lawlessness  of  another  nature,  namely,  re¬ 
bellion  against  apostolic  authority. 

Each  Epistle  begins  with  an  introduction  of  four 


282 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


verses,  but  the  conclusion  differs  in  each  as  to  num¬ 
ber  of  verses. 

John,  the  apostle  of  love,  calls  himself  an  eye¬ 
witness  of  “what  we  have  heard  and  seen  and 
handled  with  our  hands  of  the  word  of  life,  these 
things  we  declare  unto  you.” 

The  believers  are  to  be  strengthened.  They  have 
forgiveness  of  sins  and  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  wicked  one  is  a  liar,  God  is  love  and 
truth.  Deeper  purification  and  more  love  is  needed. 
False  teachers  will  be  known  by  their  teaching  in 
regard  to  the  Divinity  of  Christ.  He  is  the  son  of 
God,  come  into  the  flesh.  His  followers  love  God, 
love  one  another  and  overcome  all  error  and  false¬ 
hood.  Established  faith  is  the  power  that  overcom- 
eth  the  world. 

Division 

Chapt.  1.  Christ  is  described.  In  him  we  have 
eternal  life. 

2.  Christ  is  the  advocate  and  propitiation  for  our 
sins.  Those  who  know  God  must  keep  his  com¬ 
mandments. 

3.  God  has  such  great  love  for  us  that  he  makes 
us  his  sons. 

4.  Teachers  who  deny  the  Divinity  of  Christ  are 
false  teachers. 

5.1  God  loves  his  children;  he  who  loves  him  must 
also  love  his  fellow-men.  His  commandments  are  not 
grievous,  but  light. 

!The  7th  verse  is  not  found  in  the  oldest  manuscripts, 
and  had  its  origin  in  the  Latin  Church  during  the  fifth 
century. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


283 


II  Epistle 

Contents 

Joy  is  manifested,  because  the  children  of  the 
“KYRIA”  walk  in  the  truth.  Christ’s  incarnation 
has  been  denied  by  many  heretics,  but  they  must 
not  be  received  nor  must  their  doctrine  find  a  will¬ 
ing  ear. 

Love  and  obedience  are  virtues  of  the  believer ; 
but  false  doctrine  afcid  false  charity  are  to  be 
shunned. 

HI  Epistle 

Contents 

Gaius  is  commended  for  his  piety  and  fear  of 
God.  His  hospitality  is  the  occasion  of  the  apostle’s 
good  wishes  for  him.  He  is  warned  against  Dio- 
trephes.  The  writer  asks  Gaius  to  receive  Demet¬ 
rius.  Greetings  of  the  writer  and  of  friends  con¬ 
clude  the  Epistle. 


LXIII 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  JUDE 


Title 

“Judas,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  brother  of 
James,  to  them  that  are  called,  beloved  in  God  the 
Father,  and  kept  for  Jesus  Christ,”  is  the  designa¬ 
tion,  given  by  the  writer  himself,  to  his  work. 

Authorship 

The  James  referred  to  is  undoubtedly  the  well- 
known  head  of  the  mother  church  of  Jerusalem,  the 
brother  of  the  Lord,  and  concluding  from  1  Cor.  9,5, 
that  the  brethren  of  the  Lord,  were  like  Peter,  evan¬ 
gelists,  well-known  to  the  churches,  it  seems 
certain  that  the  writer  of  the  present  letter  is  Jude, 
the  brother  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  Jude  the  apostle 
as  has  at  times  been  held  by  many  ancient  and  mod¬ 
ern  writers. 

Its  brevity,  peculiar  contents,1  and  the  cir¬ 
cumstance  that  it  makes  no  claim  to  apostolic 
authorship,  have  made  the  universal  acceptance 
as  canonical  uncertain,  and  doubtless  stood  in  the 
way  of  a  frequent  and  extensive,  unhesitating  use  in 
the  early  church.  Such  eminent  authorities  as  Clem¬ 
ent  of  Alexandria,  Tertullian,  Origen,  Malchion  of 
Antioch,  the  Carthaginian  Canon,  however,  have  ac- 

llt  reports  matters  not  found  elsewhere  in  the  Bible. 
Michael  contending  with  the  devil  about  the  body  of  Moses. 
It  mentions  facts  recorded  only  in  the  New  Testament: 
Moses  was  taught  in  Egyptian  wisdom,  Acts  7,22;  Saul 
reigned  forty  years,  Acts  13,21;  The  Egyptian  Magicians 
who  withstood  Moses  were  Jannes  and  Jambres,  2  Tim.  3,8. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


285 


cepted  this  work  as  Scripture,  and  rightly  has  it 
found  a  place  in  our  Bible. 

As  to  the  time  of  writing  various  dates  have  been 
suggested.  The  general  view  which  it  offers,  the 
nature  of  the  evils  with  which  it  deals,  the  allusion 
to  the  teachings  of  the  apostles,  the  absence  of  all 
reference  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which 
fact  the  writer  certainly  would  have  added  to  the 
many  warnings  which  he  takes  from  the  dread 
judgments  of  God,  would  fix  the  date  somewhere 
before  70  A.  D.,  probably  soon  after  the  second  let¬ 
ter  of  Peter.  The  place  of  writing  is  still  more  un¬ 
certain.  Hebrew  phrases  and  idioms  betray  the 
Jewish  training  of  the  writer.  The  style  is  broken 
and  rugged,  bold  and  picturesque,  and  the  build  of 
the  ‘  sentences  reveals  more  Aramaic  than  purely 
Greek  features. 

The  parties  addresed  were  the  same  as  those  to 
whom  the  Epistles  of  Peter  were  writen,  for  there 
are  so  many  points  of  resemblance,  and  the  same 
evils  are  dealt  with  in  the  writings  of  both.  Jude, 
like  the  letters  of  Peter,  was  written  for  Jewish 
Christians. 

Contents 

This  Epistle  is  an  indignant  invective  against  cer¬ 
tain  false  disciples  who  had  intruded  the  church  or 
churches  in  question.  Lewdness  was  defended  by 
some  under  the  plea  of  higher  knowledge.  Claim¬ 
ing  to  possess  the  Spirit,  they  made  themselves  very 
conspicuous  in  the  congregation.  With  great  ve¬ 
hemence  Jude  depicts  the  shamefulness  of  these 
errorists  and  issues  warnings,  drawn  from  the  ex¬ 
amples  of  Old  Testament  history  as  well  as  extra- 


286 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


canonical  literature.1  The  teachings  of  the  apostles 
are  constantly  appealed  to  as  the  recognized  author¬ 
ity  in  questions  of  faith  and  doctrine.  Two  kinds  of 
dangers  are  threatening.  The  one  the  base  carnal 
influences,  and  the  other  the  speculative  Jewish 
philosophy.  Both  foreshadow  the  corruption  to 
which  in  the  following  periods  many  of  the  believers 
yielded. 

With  the  grand  doxology :  “Now  unto  him,  that 
is  able  to  guard  you  from  stumbling,  and  to  set  you 
before  the  presence  of  his  glory  without  blemish 
in  exceeding  joy,  to  the  only  God  our  Saviour, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  be  glory,  majesty, 
dominion  and  power,  before  all  time,  and  now  and 
for  evermore,”  the  letter  ends. 

LThe  Jewish  Apocryphical  books,  “The  Assumption  of 
Moses,”  “The  Book  of  Enoch.” 


LXIV 

THE  APOCALYPSE  OF  JOHN 


Title 

The  Apocalypse,  APOKALYPSIS,  is  not  only  the 
initial  word  of  the  book,  but  also  the  subject-title, 
descriptive  of  the  largest  portion  of  its  contents,  the 
word  signifying  the  taking  away  of  the  veil,  the 
disclosure. 

“The  apocalypsis  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  God  gave 
him  to  show  unto  his  servants,  even  the  things  which 
come  shortly  to  pass :  and  he  sent  and  signified  it  by 
his  angel  unto  his  servant  John.” 

Authorship 

The  writer  calls  himself  John,  repeating  this  des¬ 
ignation  four  times,  1,1 ;  1,4;  1,9 ;  22,8,  adding  on  the 
first  occasion  that  he  was  the  same  John  “who  bare 
witness  of  the  word  of  God,”  thus  identifying  him¬ 
self  with  the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  as  well  as 
the  first  of  the  Johannine  Epistles. 

Similarity  of  expression,  the  “Word,”  the  “Lamb 
of  God,”  “Christ  the  Life,”  increase  the  internal 
evidence.  External  evidence  for  the  authenticity  of 
this  work  is  found  with  Justin  the  Martyr,  Tertul- 
lian,  Hippolytus,  Origen,  and  many  later  fathers. 
The  style  of  writing  is  different  from  that  mani¬ 
fested  in  the  other  writings  ascribed  to  John.  How¬ 
ever,  this  may  be  explained  by  the  character  of  the 
book.  Hebrew  influences  are  apparent,  but  these 
are  doubtless  due  to  the  nature  of  the  work,  and  the 
Apocalyptic  prophets  who  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  writer.  The  imagery  is  magnificent,  and 
the  visions  overwhelming.  The  date  of  the  Apoca- 


288 


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lypse  may  be  set  as  about  96  A.  D.,  during  the  reign 
of  Domitian  which  extended  from  81  A.  D.  to  96 
A.  D.  The  place  where  the  revelation  was  was  re¬ 
ceived  was  Patmos,  a  small  island  of  the  Aegian 
Sea  on  which  John  lived  in  banishment  during  the 
reign  of  Domitian  for  his  fidelity  to  his  Master. 

Contents.  This  work  describes  itself  as  the  rev¬ 
elation  of  Christ  of  the  present  and  future  as  seen 
by  John.  It  is  addressed  to  seven  churches  of  Asia 
and  the  general  subject  is  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man  to  judgment. 

The  Apocalypse  consists  of  a  series  of  visions, 
indicating  various  aspects  of  the  triumphs  of  the 
great  king.  The  opening  passages  present  a  graphic 
picture  of  the  condition  existing  in  the  various 
churches  in  Asia.  Heresy,  persecution,  and  a  de¬ 
scription  of  the  spiritual  condition,  together  with 
the  hope  for  the  speedy  return  of  Christ  are  rapidly 
unfolded.  The  whole  is  presided  over  by  the  glori¬ 
fied  Redeemer.  The  last  part  concerns  itself  chiefly 
with  the  future.  There  is  still  going  to  be  a  mighty 
conflict  between  the  powers  of  evil  and  the  church. 
However,  shall  she  ultimately  triumph ;  the  re¬ 
deemed  shall  be  safe ;  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth  shall  appear  and  the  new  Jerusalem  shall  vis¬ 
ibly  embody  the  ideal  state  of  the  church.  The  in¬ 
terpretation  of  these  visions  is  rather  difficult,  and 
the  wildest  theories  in  regard  to  numbers,  figures, 
and  pictures  found  here  have  at  times  been  ad¬ 
vanced.  A  safe  explanation  perhaps  is  the  one 
knowm  as  the  eschatological,  foreseeing  the  happen¬ 
ings  recorded  here  in  their  relation  to  the  final  re¬ 
turn  of  Christ  for  judgment  and  eternity. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


289 


Division 

Chapt.  1-3.  The  Message  to  Seven  Churches. 

4-7.  The  first  Cycle  of  Visions.  The  Seven  Seals. 

8-11.  The  second  Cycle  of  Visions.  The  Seven 
Trumpets. 

11,15-14.  The  third  Cycle  of  Visions.  The  Day  of 
Judgment. 

15-18.  The  fourth  Cycle  of  Visions.  The  Seven 
Vials  of  AVrath. 

19-22,5.  The  fifth  Cycle  of  Visions.  The  End  and 
Eternity. 

22,6-21.  The  Epilogue. 

Chapt.  1.  Christ,  the  First  and  the  Last,  appears 
among  the  churches  in  glorious  power  and  majesty. 
The  seven  churches,  at  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Pergamus, 
Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  and  Laodicea,  re¬ 
ceive  each  a  message. 

2.  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Pergamus,  Thyatira  are  ad¬ 
dressed. 

3.  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  and  Laodicea  hear  their 
Master’s  voice. 

4.  The  throne  of  God  is  seen  in  heaven  ;  24  elders 
and  4  beasts  worship  God. 

5.  A  book  is  sealed  with  seven  seals;  only  the 
lamb  slain,  the  lion  of  Judah  can  open  it. 

6.  The  seals  reveal  the  victory  of  God,  bloody 
wars,  famine,  persecutions,  great  upheavals  in  na¬ 
ture.  The  end  of  the  world  is  prophesied. 

7.  The  servants  of  the  Lord  are  sealed  on  their 
forehead,  and  their  number  is  counted. 

8.  The  seventh  seal  is  opened.  Four  trumpets 
sound,  and  great  plagues  follow. 

9.  Terrible  woes  come  upon  men,  yet  they  do 


290 


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not  repent. 

10.  A  little  book,  part  of  God's  truth,  sealed,  is 
eaten  by  John.  It  is  sweet  as  God’s  message,  but 
bitter  to  the  flesh. 

11.  Two  witnesses  are  slain  by  the  anti-christ. 
The  majesty  of  God  is  revealed. 

12.  A  woman  is  rescued  in  the  wilderness.  The 
red  dragon  is  cast  out  of  heaven. 

13.  A  beast  arises  from  the  sea,  another  from 
the  earth. 

14.  The  Lamb  standing  on  Mt.  Zion  has  a  large 
company,  the  saints,  that  die  in  the  trials.  “Baby¬ 
lon  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  the  great  city.”  God’s  wrath 
comes  upon  the  sinners. 

15.  Seven  vials  of  wrath  are  poured  out  over  the 
wicked. 

16.  The  earth,  sea,  rivers,  and  the  sun  are  touched. 
Christ  comes  as  a  thief  in  the  night. 

17.  A  woman  arrayed  in  purple  and  scarlet,  in 
great  glory,  symbolizes  Babylon  the  wicked  city  of 
the  world.  The  Lamb  is  victorious. 

18.  Babylon  is  fallen  and  the  kings  of  the  earth 
lament  over  her. 

19.  God  is  praised  for  his  righteousness. 

20.  Satan  is  bound  for  a  thousand  years.  The  last 
resurrection  and  final  judgment  approaches. 

21.  A  new  heaven,  a  new  earth  and  a  heavenly 
Jerusalem  arise. 

22.  Eternity  has  begun ;  the  glory  of  life  is  seen 
in  its  fulness.  Christ  surely  comes  to  redeem  his 
people.  He  is  “Alpha  and  Omega”  and  the  seer 
concludes  with  this  longing  prayer,  “Even  so,  come, 
Lord  Jesus.” 


LXV 

A  SUMMARY  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  KING¬ 
DOM  OF  GOD  IN  THE  OLD  AND 
NEW  TESTAMENT 

A.  Introduction.  The  Bible  is  God’s  written  rev¬ 
elation,  consisting  of  a  library  of  sixty-two  books. 
A  period  of  approximately  sixteen  centuries  was  re¬ 
quired  for  its  composition,  and  about  thirty-six 
authors  shared  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  work. 
The  Old  Testament  was  written  in  Hebrew  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  short  passages  in  Aramaic,  and 
was  translated  into  Greek  (Septuagint)  about  two 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era.  The  New 
Testament  was  written  in  Greek  and  from  the 
original  manuscripts,  later  translated  into  different 
tongues.  The  thirty-nine  books  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  may  be  grouped  as  follows : 

Law.  Five.  Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers 
and  Deuteronomy. 

History.  Twelve.  Joshua,  Judges,  Ruth,  First 
and  Second  Samuel,  First  and  Second  Kings,  First 
and  Second  Chronicles,  Ezra,  Nehemiah  and  Esther. 

Poetry.  Five.  Job,  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes 
and  the  Song  of  Songs. 

Prophecy.  Major,  four.  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  includ¬ 
ing  Lamentations,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel. 

Minor,  twelve.  Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah, 
Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  Zephaniah,  Hag- 
gai,  Zechariah  and  Malachi. 

The  twenty-seven  books  of  the  New  Testament 
may  be  grouped  as  follows : 

Gospel.  Four.  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John. 


292 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


History.  One.  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

Letter.  Twenty-one.  Pauline  Epistles,  fourteen. 
Romans,  First  and  Second  Corinthians,  Galatians, 
Ephesians,  Philippians,  Colossians,  First  and  Second 
Thessalonians,  First  and  Second  Timothy,  Titus, 
Philemon  and  Hebrews  (Authorship  uncertain). 

General  Epistles,  seven.  James,  First  and  Second 
Peter,  First,  Second  and  Third  John,  Jude. 

Prophecy.  One.  The  Apocalypse  of  John. 

The  History  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  unfolds  the 
meaning  of  events  as  historical,  literary  and  devo¬ 
tional,  and  presents  God  as  active  in  the  affairs  of 
men.  If,  however,  God  is  to  rule  in  the  lives  of 
human  beings  he  must  make  himself  known,  and  the 
human  heart  must  be  made  ready  to  receive  such 
knowledge.  This  preparation  for  the  full  knowl¬ 
edge  of  God  is  chiefly  found  in  the  Old  Testament, 
while  the  New  Testament  records  its  actual  ac¬ 
complishment  in  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Old  Testament  may  be  divided  into  four 
periods : 

1.  The  Beginning  of  Things. 

2.  The  Patriarchs. 

3.  The  Chosen  People. 

4.  Under  Foreign  Rulers. 

The  New  Testament  may  be  divided  into  two 
periods : 

1.  The  Messianic  Fulfilment. 

2.  The  Apostolic  Age. 

B.  The  Kingdom  in  the  Old  Testament 

1.  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THINGS.  Gen.  1-11.  The 
origin  of  the  physical  universe,  of  plant,  animal  and 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


293 


human  life,  is  traced  to  God,  the  creator  of  heaven 
and  earth.  Soon  after  the  beginnings  sin,  i.  e.,  dis¬ 
obedience  to  God,  enters  and  spreads  with  the  ex¬ 
pansion  of  the  human  race.  Adam  and  Eve,  in  the 
state  of  innocence  enjoyed  complete  happiness  be¬ 
cause  they  had  complete  fellowship  with  their  Cre¬ 
ator.  In  the  supreme  test  their  loyalty  gave  way  to 
disobedience.  They  yielded  to  temptation  and  sin 
separated  them  from  God  and  happiness.  But  in 
his  mercy  God  promised  them  one  who  should  re¬ 
deem  men  from  the  bondage  of  sin  (Gen.  3,15)  and 
its  curse. 

As  wickedness  on  earth  increased,  God,  after 
much  patience,  destroyed  the  race  through  the  flood, 
with  the  exception  of  one  family,  that  of  Noah,  who 
was  saved  through  the  ark.  Through  him  God  made 
a  new  covenant  with  Noah  and  gave  the  race  a  new 
beginning.  His  descendants  scattering  in  many 
lands,  gradually  established  great  nations,  Egypt, 
Phoenicia,  Chaldea,  and  Assyria. 

2.  THE  PATRIARCHS.  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob 
(Joseph).  Records:  Gen.  12  fg. 

Abraham,  living  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  is  selected 
by  God  to  become  the  progenitor  of  the  chosen  race. 
He  obeys  this  call  and  journeys  first  to  Haran,  then 
completes  his  journey  to  Canaan.  At  Shechem  he 
receives  the  Divine  promise.  In  his  dealings  with 
Lot,  his  nephew,  he  shows  his  kind  disposition  by 
yielding  to  the  wishes  of  the  younger  relative. 
God  makes  a  covenant  with  him,  whereupon  his 
name  is  changed  from  Abram  to  Abraham.  When 
Sodom  is  doomed  to  destruction,  Abraham  inter¬ 
cedes,  and  the  occasion  of  the  severe  test  of  faith  in 


294 


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the  command  to  sacrifice  Isaac  his  only  son,  proves 
him  obedient  to  Jehovah. 

After  Abraham’s  death  Isaac  becomes  the  bearer 
of  the  promise  of  God.  Two  sons  are  given 
him,  Esau  and  Jacob.  Esau,  the  first  born,  anxious 
to  satisfy  his  physical  wants,  sells  his  birthright  for 
a  mess  of  lentils. 

Jacob,  despite  his  many  faults,  inherits  a  great¬ 
er  blessing  than  that  bestowed  by  his  father,  the 
heritage  of  God’s  promise.  Suffering  for  his  sin  and 
wandering  about,  being  chastened  by  the  severe 
trials,  he  finally  conquers  self  and  becomes  pleasing 
to  Jehovah. 

Joseph,  the  youngest  son  of  Jacob,  sold  as  a  slave 
by  envious  brothers,  imprisoned  for  the  sake  of 
doing  right,  finally  elevated  to  the  regency  in  Egypt, 
was  the  last  individual  dealt  with  in  the  progress  of 
God’s  plan.  The  family  of  Abraham  had  now  be¬ 
come  twelve  tribes  and  the  tribal  life  had  developed 
a  nation.  Hardships  and  trials,  however,  were 
necessary  to  create  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  a 
longing  for  the  Promised  Land  and  to  unify  them 
as  a  nation. 

3.  THE  CHOSEN  PEOPLE.  Records:  Exodus- 
Second  Chronicles.  When  the  Israelites  were  suffi¬ 
ciently  educated  for  self-government,  God  raised 
Moses,  to  effect  their  deliverance.  Eighty  years  of 
education  and  preparation,  first  at  the  court  of 
Pharaoh,  then  in  the  wilderness,  enabled  him  to  be¬ 
come  the  leader  and  liberator.  Having  received  his 
commission  at  the  burning  bush  empowered  to 
do  miracles  he  made  the  proclamation  of  liberty  to 
the  Egyptian  king,  but  at  first  in  vain.  Nine 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


295 


plagues  failed  to  induce  Pharaoh  to  permit  the 
exodus  of  Israel.  But  when  death  took  the  first¬ 
born  in  the  Egyptian  homes,  the  Israelites  finally 
were  allowed  freedom. 

They  crossed  the  Red  Sea  and  proceeded  to  Mt. 
Sinai.  Here  the  people  were  organized  and  laws 
were  given  them.  These  laws  were  of  a  three-old 
nature :  the  civil,  ceremonial  and  the  moral,  the 
latter  still  being  binding  on  all  followers  of  God. 
The  civil  law  had  reference  to  the  social  aspect  of 
the  nation.  The  ceremonial  law  regulated  the  re¬ 
ligious  observances  and  the  worship  of  Jehovah. 
The  moral  law  dealt  with  the  daily  conduct  of  the 
individual.  Forty  years  of  wilderness  wanderings 
were  necessary  to  prepare  the  nation  for  the  next 
step  in  the  progress  of  God’s  plan.  During  this  time 
the  nation  worshipped  Jehovah  in  the  tabernacle. 

The  Tabernacle  was  planned  by  God  himself.  It 
was  made  of  board,  plated  with  gold,  and  a  roof 
made  of  three  curtains,  one  laid  upon  another.  The 
dimensions  were  forty-five  feet  in  length  and  fifteen 
feet  in  width.  The  tabernacle  was  movable  and  sur¬ 
rounded  by  a  court  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long 
by  seventy-five  feet  wide  (Ex.  27).  Near  the  en¬ 
trance  stood  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings.  Close  by 
the  court  was  the  laver.  The  tabernacle  itself  was 
divided  into  two  rooms.  The  first  room  was  the 
Holy  Place.  It  contained  the  golden  candlesticks, 
the  table  of  shew  bread  and  the  altar  of  incense. 
The  second  room  was  the  Holy  of  Holies.  Here  was 
placed  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  consisting  of  a 
chest  covered  within  and  without  with  gold.  Within 
were  two  stone  tables  containing  the  commandments. 


296 


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Aaron's  budding  rod  and  pieces  of  manna.  On  top 
was  the  Mercy  Seat  and  the  Cherubim.  The  Sol¬ 
omonic  Temple,  built  centuries  later,  was  erected  on 
the  same  principles,  only  along  much  more  elaborate 
lines.  The  Babylonians  destroyed  this  temple  in 
587  B.  C.  The  second  temple  was  built  by  Zerubba- 
bel,  lasting  about  five  hundred  years.  The  third 
temple  was  a  restoration  and  enlargement  of  the 
second,  accomplished  by  Herod  the  Great.  This  was 
the  temple  known  to  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  being 
destroyed  in  the  year  70  A.  D. 


i 

j 

i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

j 

i 

j 

i 


i 


Ark  of  the 


Golden 

Candlestick 


i 

j 


Holy 
of  Holies 


Altar  of 
Incense 


Covenant 


Table  of 
Shewbread 


|  Laver  j 


j 

i 

i 

i 

j 

i 


o 


Altar  of 
Burnt-Offerings 


i 

i 

i 

i 

j 

i 


GROUND  PLAN  OP  THE  TABERNACLE 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


297 


The  Priests  and  Prophets  were  the  principal  min¬ 
isters  of  Old  Testament  religion.  The  priest  be¬ 
longed  to  the  tribe  of  Levi,  the  prophet  was  spe¬ 
cially  called  by  Jehovah  for  that  specific  office  of 
prophetism.  As  the  intercessor  for  the  people,  the 
priest  brought  sacrifices  to  Jehovah.  These  sacri¬ 
fices  were  of  a  five-fold  nature.  Burnt  Offering  was 
a  dedicatory  service  of  all  people  to  Jehovah.  Sin 
Offering  was  offered  on  behalf  of  the  individual 
needing  forgiveness.  Trespass  Offering  was  made 
for  injuries  of  others.  Peace  Offering  was  thanks¬ 
giving  and  fellowship  service.  Meat  Offering  was  a 
praise  service  for  Jehovah’s  bounty  in  general.  Dur¬ 
ing  later  times  an  extensive  ritual  developed,  elab¬ 
orate  services  were  held  and  choirs  and  instruments 
aided  in  the  service. 

Sacred  Seasons  were,  the  Sabbath,  the  seventh 
day ;  the  Sabbatical  Year,  the  seventh  year,  when 
all  the  land  was  to  remain  untilled ;  The  Year  of 
Jubilee,  the  fiftieth  year,  when  all  slaves  were  to  be 
freed  and  all  prisoners  released  and  the  property 
to  be  returned  to  the  original  owner ;  on  the  Day  of 
Atonement,  the  most  solemn  day  of  all,  under  im¬ 
pressive  ceremonies  the  High  Priest  went  into  the 
Holy  of  Holies  to  sprinkle  the  blood  of  atonement 
upon  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  thus  effecting  the 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  people. 

The  Passover  commemorated  the  deliverance  from 
slavery  and  was  held  in  the  spring.  Pentecost  oc¬ 
curred  fifty  days  after  the  Passover,  celebrating  the 
close  of  the  grain  harvest. 

The  Feast  of  the  Tabernacle  occurred  in  Septem¬ 
ber,  commemorating  the  dwelling  of  Israel  in  the 


298 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


tents  in  the  wilderness.  The  Feast  of  the  Trumpets 
was  the  Jewish  New  Year.  The  Feast  of  Dedication 
was  held  in  memory  of  reconsecration  of  the  temple 
after  the  period  of  Jndas  Maccabaeus. 

The  Feast  of  the  Purim  recalled  the  deliverance 
of  the  Jewish  nation  by  Queen  Esther,  probably 
held  in  February  or  March. 

In  the  Promised  Land.  From  the  peak  of  Mt. 
Nebo  Moses  gained  a  glimpse  of  the  promised  land, 
but  here  his  journeys  ended,  for  God  closed  his 
eyes  in  death.  Joshua  is  called  to  become  the  leader 
of  the  nation.  The  Jordan  is  crossed  and  after  sub¬ 
duing  the  Canaanites,  the  Israelites  take  possession, 
dividing  the  country  among  the  twelve  tribes.  The 
period  of  the  Judges,  a  time  of  confusion  and  tur¬ 
moil  followed.  Each  tribe  acted  independently,  and 
there  was  no  real  unity  of  purpose.  Only  in  times 
of  danger  did  all  combine  for  the  common  good. 
When  the  people  sinned,  they  were  punished ;  when 
they  repented  God  delivered  them  by  the  hand  of 
the  judges.  The  most  prominent  among  them  were 
Deborah,  Gideon,  Samson,  Jephthah,  Eli  and  Samuel. 

The  Monarchy.  The  people  now  demand  a  king, 
thus  changing  the  Theocracy  to  a  Monarchy,  “that 
they  might  be  like  other  nations.  ’  ’ 

Saul,  the  first  king,  reigned  for  forty  years.  He 
began  well  and  was  in  a  measure  successful  in  his 
wars  against  foreign  enemies.  Later  in  life,  how¬ 
ever,  he  departed  from  Jehovah  and  ended  in  battle 
in  consequence  of  his  sin. 

David  was  chosen  Saul’s  successor.  For  seven 
years  he  ruled  as  king  over  the  tribe  of  Judah  with 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


299 


the  capital  at  Hebron.  After  that  he  was  acknowl¬ 
edged  king  by  all  the  tribes  and  Jerusalem  was  made 
the  capital  of  the  nation.  The  forty  years  of  his  reign 
are  marked  by  successful  foreign  wars,  the  consoli¬ 
dation  of  the  kingdom,  the  extension  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  ritual  of  public  worship,  the  composi¬ 
tion  of  Psalms,  and  the  institution  of  choirs  and 
singers  for  the  services  at  the  tabernacle. 

Solomon,  David's  son,  reigned  in  great  splendor 
for  forty  years.  Ilis  reign  was  made  notable  by 
many  building  activities,  especially  the  building  of 
the  temple.  This  period  shows  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
at  its  height.  But  the  outward  splendor  concealed 
inward  decay  and  as  consequence  of  luxury  and 
pride  idolatry  begins  to  reappear  among  the  people. 

The  Division.  When  Rehoboam,  Solomon’s  son, 
ascended  the  throne,  the  people  requested  a  reduc¬ 
tion  of  the  lieavv  taxes  that  had  been  levied.  Reho- 

*/ 

boam  refused  this  request,  and  in  consequence  the 
ten  northern  tribes  seceded,  establishing  the  king¬ 
dom  of  Israel  with  Jeroboam  as  king.  Only  Judah 
and  Benjamin  remained  loyal  to  the  house  of  David. 

The  Kingdom  of  Israel.  Troubled  conditions  pre¬ 
vailed  during  the  reign  of  its  twenty  kings.1  Jero¬ 
boam  in  order  to  prevent  his  people  from  going  to 
Jerusalem  for  worship  established  calf  worship  at 
Bethel  and  Dan.  Ahab  married  a  Phoenician  prin¬ 
cess,  who  introduced  the  worship  of  Baal  and  Ashta- 
roth,  the  gods  of  her  native  country.  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  both  powerful  prophets,  vainly  tried  to  turn 
the  nation  from  its  downward  course.  Moral  and 

fFor  detailed  description  see  chapters  on  1  and  2  Kings 
and  Chronicles. 


300 


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political  decline  brought  on  inevitable  destruction. 
Shalmaneser,  king  of  Assyria,  besieged  Samaria  in 
722  and  the  larger  portion  of  the  population  of  the 
northern  kingdom  were  carried  into  captivity,  and 
thus  destroyed  the  kingdom  of  Israel. 

The  Kingdom  of  Judah.  Moral  and  spiritual  con¬ 
ditions  were  somewhat  better  here,  and  therefore 
this  kingdom  lasted  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  longer  than  Israel.  God-fearing  priests  and 
Levites  and  goodly  rulers  such  as  Jehoshaphat, 
Hezekiah,  Josiah  and  Joash,  together  with  the  later 
prophets,  though  not  able  to  prevent  the  destruction 
of  this  nation,  at  least  exercised  a  preserving  in¬ 
fluence  during  their  times.  Prophetism  was  at  its 
height  in  this  period;  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  were  its 
most  prominent  representatives.  Situated  between 
two  powerful  rival  nations,  Assyria  and  Egypt,  the 
little  kingdom  suffered  much  through  the  ever- 
changing  lot  of  wars  between  them.  Isaiah,  how¬ 
ever,  recognized  that  the  ultimate  danger  did  not 
threaten  either  from  Egypt  nor  Assyria,  but  from 
Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar  invaded  Judah  605  B.  C., 
and  carried  off  a  large  portion  of  the  nation.  The 
final  conquest  of  the  country  and  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  together  with  its  beautiful  temple,  took 
place  in  587  B.  C.  The  kingdom  of  Judah,  like  that 
of  Israel,  had  come  to  an  end.  The  upper  classes  of 
the  people  were  carried  off  into  captivity  and  only 
the  poorer  classes  were  left  behind  to  till  the  ground. 

4.  UNDER  FOREIGN  RULERS.  Records :  Ezra, 
Nehemiah,  Esther,  Daniel. 

The  chosen  people  and  the  world  at  large  were 


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301 


being  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  His 
coming  had  been  prophesied  from  Moses  down  to 
the  last  representatives  of  Old  Testament  phophet- 
ism,  Malachi.  Petty  nations  united  into  strong 
empires,  commerce,  trade,  highways  and  civiliza¬ 
tion  spreading  over  the  whole  then  known  world, 
made  the  task  of  the  apostles  of  new  times  easier. 
The  great  conquerors  thus  served  God’s  plan  in  pre¬ 
paring  the  world  for  the  advent  of  the  greatest  con¬ 
queror,  Jesus  Christ. 

1.  Babylonia.  The  majority  of  the  Jews  were  ex¬ 
iled  in  Babylonia  and  her  possessions.  They  lived 
in  colonies,  were  permitted  religious  freedom,  and 
these  colonies  enjoyed  a  certain  degree  of  self- 
government.  Among  their  great  teachers  were 
Daniel  and  Ezekiel,  and  prominent  Jews  occupied 
important  positions  in  the  Babylonian  state. 

2.  Persia.  Cyrus,  having  overcome  Babylonia  is¬ 
sued  an  edict  for  the  restoration  of  the  temple  and 
state.  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua  were  the  leaders  of 
this  undertaking.  The  return  from  captivity  had 
begun.  Ezra,  the  scribe,  came  later  with  another 
company  of  pilgrims  and  brought  about  various  re¬ 
forms  of  life  and  worship.  Nehemiah,  the  cupbearer 
of  Artaxerxes,  led  a  third  expedition  and  accom¬ 
plished  the  rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

3.  The  Ptolemies.  Alexander  the  Great  struck  the 
death  blow  of  the  Persian  empire.  Greek  influence 
and  language  and  customs  were  introduced  in  Pales¬ 
tine  as  well  as  in  the  whole  state  of  Alexander,  when, 
after  his  death,  the  empire  was  divided,  Palestine 
became  an  integral  part  of  a  realm  ruled  over  by 


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the  Ptolemies  and  enjoyed  comparative  peace  and 
prosperity. 

4.  Syria.  Under  Antiochus  Epiphanes  several  per¬ 
secutions  broke  out.  The  temple  was  plundered  169 
B.  C.,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  force  Greek  idol¬ 
atry  upon  the  nation.  The  Jews  rebelled,  and  many 
of  them  died  a  martyr’s  death. 

5.  The  Maccabees.  The  Maccabean  family,  Matta- 
thias  and  his  sons  organized  the  Jews  against  the 
oppressors.  Under  Judas  Maccabaeus  and  his 
brother  Simon,  liberty  was  achieved,  lasting  about 
a  century. 

6.  Home.  When  new  troubles  broke  out,  63  B.  C., 
the  Jews  called  upon  the  Roman  general  Pompey 
for  assistance.  He  furnished  the  desired  assistance, 
but  as  a  reward  made  Palestine  a  Roman  depend¬ 
ency.  The  Idumean,  Antipater,  was  now  made 
ruler ;  and  in  the  year  37  B.  C.,  his  son  Herod  the 
Great  was  appointed  king  by  the  Roman  Senate, 
Unscrupulous,  dissolute  and  cruel  he  endeavored  to 
exterminate  the  Maccabaen  family  with  whom  he 
was  connected  by  the  marriage  of  Marianne,  a  niece 
of  Hyrcanus  II.  In  order  to  gain  favor  with  the 
nationalists,  he  renovated  the  temple  at  great  cost 
and  instituted  other  measures  for  the  welfare  of 
the  state. 

Herod  remained  hated,  however  .  It  was  under 
him  that  Jesus  was  born  (Matth.  2,1),  and  the  mur¬ 
der  of  the  infants  of  Bethlehem  took  place  (Matt. 
2,16).  After  the  death  of  his  three  sons,  Archelaus 
(Matt.  2,22),  Herod  Antipas,  the  murderer  of  John 
the  Baptist  (Luke  23,7 ;  Matthew  14),  and  Philip  the 
Just,  who  ruled  a  certain  district  beyond  the  Jordan, 


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303 


Judea  was  degraded  to  a  Roman  province,  procur¬ 
ators  being  appointed,  one  of  whom  was  Pontius 
Pilate. 

Continued  oppressions  of  their  foreign  rulers,  at 
length,  excited  the  Jews  to  rebel  against  them,  and 
a  furious  warfare  commenced,  66  A.  D.,  which  term¬ 
inated  a  few  years  later  in  the  events  foretold  by 
Christ  (Matt.  24),  as  a  punishment  for  “the  rebel¬ 
lious  house  of  Israel,”  the  destruction  of  the  city 
and  the  temple  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews. 


Outline  of  Old  Testament  History 


Countries.  Assyria,  Armenia,  Babylonia,  Canaan, 
Chaldea,  Egypt,  Mesopotamia,  Persia,  Syria. 

Capitals  and  Chief  Cities.  Babylon,  Damascus, 
Ilaran,  Jerusalem,  Nineveh,  Shushan. 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THINGS 


The  Creation 

The  Fall  and  the  Promise 

The  Flood 

The  Dispersion 

THE  PATRIARCHS 
Abraham 
Isaac 
Jacob 

THE  CHOSEN  NATION 
The  Exodus  from  Egypt 
The  Discipline  of  the 
Wilderness 

UNDER  FOREIGN  RULERS: 

The  United  Kingdom 
Captivity  Under  the 
Chaldeans 

Restoration  Under  the 
Persians 


The  Descent  Into  Egypt 
The  Growth  and  Training 
of  the  Tribes 
The  Unifying  of  the 
People 


The  Conquest  of  Canaan 
The  Rule  of  the  Judges 

The  Babylonian  Captivity 
to  Christ. 

The  Divided  Kingdom 
Greek  Supremacy 
The  Maccabean  In¬ 
dependence 
Roman  Rule 


C.  THE  KINGDOM  IN  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT 


1.  THE  MESSIANIC  FULFILMENT.  Records: 
Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John. 

The  fulness  of  time  was  at  hand.  Israel  was  long¬ 
ing  for  the  promised  Messiah,  and  scattered  over  the 
whole  then  known  world  was  united  by  com¬ 
mon  ties  of  religion.  The  world  at  large,  disap¬ 
pointed  in  its  various  systems  of  religion,  morally 
bankrupt  and  restive,  its  philosophies  having  like¬ 
wise  proved  unsatifying,  was  ready  to  welcome  the 
Lord  of  Glory. 

Early  Life.  In  accordance  with  prophecy  and  the 
announcement  of  the  angel,  Christ  was  born  at  Beth¬ 
lehem  of  Judea.  His  cradle  a  manger,  his  associates 
humble  folks.  After  having  found  refuge  in  Egypt 
for  a  time,  he  lived  in  the  little  village  of  Nazareth 
in  the  mountains  of  Galilee.  Here  he  passed  his 
boyhood  days.  When  twelve  years  of  age,  he  at¬ 
tended  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem,  and  then  again 
the  records  picture  him  as  the  dutiful  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary.  They  are  silent,  however,  as  regards 
the  youth  of  Christ. 

John  the  Baptist.  When  thirty  years  of  age 
Jesus  left  home  and  with  other  pilgrims  attended 
the  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist.  John  had  come 
to  prepare  the  way.  Living  the  life  of  a  hermit  in 
the  wilderness,  possessed  of  a  fascinating  nature,  he 
preached  repentance  and  baptized.  All  classes  of 
people,  the  multitudes,  tax-gatherers,  soldiers,  the 
Pharisees  and  leaders  of  the  nation  were  attracted 
by  the  wilderness  preacher. 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


305 


Christ’s  Early  Ministry.  Jesus  humbly  takes  his 
place  among  them  and  presented  himself  for  bap¬ 
tism,  the  voice  of  heavenly  approval  attending  this 
act.  While  fasting  in  the  desert  the  first  great  crisis 
of  his  life  arrives.  Satan  tries  to  induce  him  to  give 
up  the  plan  of  redemption,  to  live  for  self,  and 
establish  a  worldly  empire  such  as  the  Jews  hoped 
for.  The  Messiah  won  the  victory  in  this  contest. 
Having  overcome  the  tempter,  Jesus  at  once  began 
his  active  ministry  by  calling  unto  himself  friends, 
companions  and  disciples.  At  Cana  he  performs  his 
first  miracle,  making  water  wine  while  attending  an 
elaborate  wedding. 

At  the  first  Passover  he  cleanses  the  temple  from 
a  traffic  very  much  like  the  modern  church  fairs 
and  money-making  schemes.  Nicodemus,  a  prom¬ 
inent  Pharisee,  comes  to  Jesus  by  night  inquiring 
about  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  great  Rabbi  em¬ 
phasizes  the  new  birth.  At  Jacob’s  well  he  offers 
living  water  to  the  Samaritan  woman. 

The  Year  of  Papular  Favor.  Except  for  a  short 
visit  to  Jerusalem  this  period  is  spent  in  Galilee. 
The  members  of  the  synagogue  become  enraged,  be¬ 
cause  he  announces  himself  as  the  Messiah.  Making 
Capernaum  his  headquarters  he  preached  on  various 
tours,  performing  many  miracles.  Disciples  are 
invited  to  leave  their  nets  and  occupation,  to  enter 
his  service. 

The  nature  of  the  kingdom  is  set  forth  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  character  of  its  citizens, 
its  laws,  its  righteousness  and  the  meaning  of  its  ap¬ 
plication  finds  full  explanation.  Different  journeys 
through  the  nearby  territory  follow,  additional  mir- 


306 


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acles  take  place,  his  words  make  a  profound  im¬ 
pression  upon  the  multitudes  and  his  fame  reaches 
into  the  farthest  parts  of  the  land.  The  truth  he 
desires  to  convey  is  frequently  garbed  in  the  robe 
of  a  parable ;  the  spiritual  and  social  aspect  of  life 
receives  due  consideration.  But  soon  the  year  of 
popular  favor  is  ended.  Threatening  clouds  appear 
on  the  horizon.  Retiring  from  the  crowds  he  chieffy 
concerns  himself  with  the  training  of  his  disciples. 
He  reveals  his  power  over  nature  in  the  stilling  of 
the  storm,  over  life  in  the  raisihg  of  Jairus’  daughter. 

The  Year  of  Opposition.  Whatever  the  disciples 
had  learned  already,  there  was  yet  one  great  truth 
to  be  mastered.  Jesus  must  be  glorified  in  suffering. 
The  conflict  between  him  and  the  authorities  is  grow¬ 
ing  in  intensity.  This  truth  filled  the  hearts  of  the 
disciples  with  dismay.  At  the  transfiguration  he 
again  foretells  his  death  and  resurrection,  but  be¬ 
hold  heaven  again  assures  them  that  he  is  the  Son 
of  God.  Leaving  the  northern  parts  of  Galilee 
Christ  passes  over  to  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan, 
entering  Peraea.  Again  many  miracles  are  per¬ 
formed,  and  some  of  the  most  beautiful  parables  are 
told ;  the  Prodigal  Son,  Lost  Sheep,  Coin,  Good 
Samaritan,  Great  Supper,  Pharisee  and  Publican. 
Lessons  of  humility  and  readiness  to  forgive  are 
related.  The  opposition  is  increasing.  The  lead¬ 
ers  had  long  since  decided  that  they  did  not  want 
his  spiritual  kingdom,  nor  did  they  desire  him  as  a 
leader.  Christ’s  face  is  set  towards  Jerusalem, 
ready  to  be  sacrificed  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 
Counsel  and  warnings,  and  woes  against  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  are  uttered  and  instructions  con- 


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307 


tinued.  Lazarus  is  raised  from  the  dead,  Bartimaeus 
and  Zacchaeus  are  made  disciples ;  many  beautiful 
parables  and  words  are  spoken. 

While  trouble  is  ahead  of  him  at  Jerusalem,  at 
Bethany  in  the  home  of  loving  friends,  he  finds  a 
place  of  rest,  sympathy,  and  understanding 
hearts.  The  crowds  had  expected  the  overthrow  of 
the  Romans  and  the  establishment  of  a  worldly 
kingdom.  Jesus,  however,  had  in  mind  a  spiritual 
kingdom.  The  multitudes  were  disappointed  in  him, 
Jesus  went  on  to  suffering  and  triumph.  Only  a 
few  days  and  victory  was  assured. 

The  Last  Week.  Many  strangers  were  at  Jerusa¬ 
lem  for  the  Jewish  Passover.  There  is  something 
expectant  in  the  air.  Will  Jesus  proclaim  himself 
Messiah,  King?  It  is  Sunday  morning.  He  openly 
proclaims  himself  as  such.  The  multitudes  shout 
their  glad  hosannas.  Jesus  enters  the  Holy  City, 
the  Prince  of  Peace.  Again  the  masses  are  dis¬ 
appointed.  He  does  not  begin  his  earthly  rule.  On 
Monday  he  cleanses  the  temple  and  asserts  his 
authority.  On  Tuesday,  when  his  authority  is  chal¬ 
lenged  he  defends  himself  in  some  pointed  parables. 
The  end  of  the  world  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
is  prophesied.  Judas  bargains  with  the  Pharisees 
for  the  price  of  betrayal.  Wednesday  was  a  day  of 
retirement.  Thursday  evening  the  last  supper  is  in¬ 
stituted,  and  the  farewell  discourses  and  interces¬ 
sory  prayers  are  spoken.  The  night  brings  the 
agony  in  Gethsemane,  the  betrayal  and  arrest,  and 
the  preliminary  trial,  before  Annas  a  former  high 
priest.  Then  followed  the  trial  before  Caiaphas. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  trial  is  continued  before 


308 


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the  Sanhedrin.  At  all  three  trials  Jesus  was  found 
guilty  of  blasphemy  and  condemned. 

Next  he  was  led  before  the  Roman  governor,  but 
since  Pilate  was  not  concerned  about  religious  mat¬ 
ters  the  charge  had  to  be  changed  to  treason  against 
the  Roman  government.  He  was  found  not  guilty, 
yet  “out  of  fear  of  the  Jews,  the  governor  delivered 
him  to  be  crucified.”  After  having  uttered  ever 
memorable  words  on  the  cross  the  Messiah  died  and 
was  buried  in  Joseph’s  tomb.  There  his  body  rested 
on  Saturday.  But  on  Sunday  victory  was  made  sure. 
“Captivity  is  captive  led,  since  Jesus  liveth  who 
was  dead.”  The  sealed  and  guarded  tomb  could  not 
hold  the  Life.  The  risen  and  glorified  Lord  appeared 
to  many,  and  having  entrusted  the  extension  of  his 
kingdom  to  his  disciples,  he  ascended  into  heaven. 

2.  THE  APOSTOLIC  AGE.  Records:  Aets- 
Apocalypse. 

The  Church  at  Jerusalem.  After  their  Master 
had  been  received  into  heaven,  in  accordance  with 
his  command,  the  disciples  waited  in  Jerusalem  for 
the  day  when  “the  Holy  Spirit”  should  come  upon 
them  and  enable  them  to  fulfil  the  great  commission. 
Ten  days  elapsed,  then  on  Pentecost  the  Power  from 
on  High  came  and  endowed  them  with  miraculous 
gifts.  Now  the  apostles  openly  proclaimed  the 
message  entrusted  to  them  by  precept  and  example. 
Peter’s  testimony  became  the  means  of  the  conver¬ 
sion  of  three  thousand  souls.  The  number  of  con¬ 
verts  soon  afterwards  increased  to  five  thousand, 
and. further  additions  continual  daily.  A  Christian 
community  was  formed.  The  believers  associated  in 


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309 


prayer,  discussions  of  their  problems,  and  for  fel¬ 
lowship  and  instruction.  The  Apostles  were  the  first 
leaders.  As  in  time  their  responsibility  increased, 
deacons  were  appointed  to  assist  them,  among  whom 
Stephen  and  Philip  were  the  most  prominent.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  first  years  the  activities  of  the  church  were 
chiefly  confined  to  Jerusalem.  The  Jews  soon 
learned  that  Christianity  was  not  simply  a  Jewish 
sect,  but  a  distinct  new  religion.  Enraged  by  its 
success  and  the  boldness  of  its  exponents,  they  be¬ 
came  angered.  Seizing  Stephen  who  had  just 
spoken  to  them  and  rebuked  them  for  their  unbelief, 
they  put  him  to  death.  This  was  the  signal  for  a 
general  persecution.  Imprisonment,  and  punish¬ 
ment  of  the  Christian  leaders  followed  and  many 
were  driven  out  of  Jerusalem.  The  persecution, 
however,  resulted  in  the  extension  of  the  church. 
Gradually  the  vision  of  the  leaders  was  enlarged  so 
that  the  heathen  too,  were  considered  fit  subjects 
of  the  kingdom. 

The  Church  Among1  the  Gentiles.  Philip  the 

deacon,  after  being  driven  from  Jerusalem,  preached 
at  Samaria  with  eminent  success,  and  he  also  won 
over  to  his  faith  the  African  Eunuch.  Saul,  the 
learned  disciple  of  Gamaliel,  the  bitter  persecutor 
of  the  Christians,  finally  yielded  himself  to  Christ  on 
the  road  to  Damascus,  and  soon  after  retired  to  the 
Arabian  desert  where  for  a  considerable  time  he  was 
prepared  for  the  great  work  of  becoming  the 
herald  of  the  cross  to  Jew  and  Gentile,  the  Greek 
and  Barbarian.  The,  church  at  Antioch  commission¬ 
ed  Saul  who  later  vecame  Paul,  and  Barnabas  as 
missionaries  to  the  heathen.  On  their  first  mission- 


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ary  journey  they  reached  the  Island  of  Cyprus, 
Perga  on  the  main  land,  Antioch,  Pisidia,  Iconium, 
Lystra  and  Derbe.  The  Jews  constantly  opposed 
them  and  incited  the  Gentiles  to  join  them  in  the 
persecution.  Returning  to  Antioch,  Paul  and  his 
companions  reported  their  work  to  the  brethren. 
The  Council  at  Jerusalem  clarified  the  confusion 
created  by  some  Jewish  Christians  who  held  that 
unless  all  the  forms  of  Jewish  belief  were  observed 
there  could  be  no  salvation,  and  decided  that  the 
Gentiles  had  equal  rights  with  the  Jews  and  that  the 
observance  of  Jewish  custom  was  not  essential. 
Paul  and  Silas  now  entered  upon  the  second  mis¬ 
sionary  journey.  They  visited  the  churches  already 
established  and  were  joined  by  Timothy  at  Lystra. 
Then  they  proceeded  westward  through  Galatia, 
preaching  as  they  pressed  on  until  they  arrived  at 
Troas  where  Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  became  a 
member  of  the  party.  A  vision  directed  them  to 
Europe  where  churches  were  established  at  Philippi, 
Thessalonica,  Beroea,  Athens  and  Corinth.  At  the 
latter  city  they  tarried  for  a  period  of  a  year  and  a 
half.  Homeward  bound  the  party  stopped  at 
Ephesus  and  then  arrived  at  Jerusalem.  On  the 
third  missionary  journey,  Paul  visited  the  churches 
in  Asia  and  finally  made  his  headquarters  at 
Ephesus  for  over  two  years.  Then  visiting  the 
churches  in  Europe  he  returned  again  to  Jerusalem. 
At  the  occasion  of  an  uproar  he  defends  himself  be¬ 
fore  the  Jewish  mob,  but  is  finally  taken  prisoner  to 
Caesarea  where  he  remained  about  two  years,  ap¬ 
pearing  during  this  time  before  Felix,  Festus  and 
King  Agrippa.  Having  appealed  his  case  to  Caesar 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


311 


he  was  finally  sent  to  Rome.  Here  Paul  was  allowed 
considerable  freedom  and  became  a  blessing  to  the 
church,  as  well  as  to  many  of  “Caesar’s  household.” 

7  t/ 

It  is  possible  that  after  two  years’  imprisonment  the 
Apostle  was  set  free  and  again  went  forth  to  preach 
the  Gospel.  However,  the  Christian  religion  had 
become  a  crime  against  Roman  law  and  under  that 
law  Paul  was  once  more  imprisoned  and  died,  a  mar¬ 
tyr  to  his  faith. 

Other  prominent  characters  of  apostolic  times 
were  Peter,  the  two  Jameses,  John  the  apostle  of 
love,  Judas,  Mark,  Matthew,  Titus. 

The  hopes  and  fears,  religious  struggles,  defeats 
and  victories,  of  this  period  find  ample  reflection  in 
the  abounding  wealth  of  apostolic  literature.  De¬ 
spite  the  fiery  trials  and  afflictions  through  which 
the  church  passed,  God’s  blessing  rested  upon  it  vis¬ 
ibly.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  became  the  means 
of  extension.  Through  Divine  power  she  continues 
to  press  forward  on  her  victorious  course  of  world- 
conquest. 

Outline  of  New  Testament  History 

The  Early  Life  of  Christ 

His  Birth 

His  Youth 

The  Early  Ministry  of  Christ 


THE  YEAR  OF  OPPO- 


The  Baptism 
The  Temptation 


SITION 

Peter’s  Confession 
The  Predictions  of 


The  First  Disciples 
The  First  Miracle 
The  First  Passover 


Christ’s  Death 
The  Transfiguration 
The  Peraean  Ministry 
The  Raising  of  Lazarus 


The  First  Conversions 


312 


BIBLE  STUDIES 


THE  YEAR  OP  POPULAR 
FAVOR 

The  Rejection  at  Nazareth 
The  Settlement  at 
Capernaum 

The  Call  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles 

The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount 

The  Tours  of  Galilee 
The  Feeding  of  the 
Five  Thousand 


THE  LAST  WEEK 

Triumphal  Entry 
Traders  Driven  Out 
Public  Teaching 
Day  of  Retirement 
Lord’s  Supper 
Gethsemane 
Trials 
Crucifixion 
Triumph 


The  Church  in  Jerusalem 

The  Outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit 
The  Preaching  of  the 
Apostles 


The  Forming  of  a  Chris¬ 
tian  Community 
The  First  Persecution 
of  the  Christians 


The  Church  Among  the  Gentiles 


The  Church  in  Samaria 
The  Conversion  of  Saul 
of  Tarsus 

The  First  Missionary 
Journey 

The  Council  at  Jerusalem 


The  First  Gentile 
Convert 

The  Church  in  Antioch 

The  Second  Missionary 
Journey 

The  Third  Missionary 
Journey 

The  Journey  to  Rome 


I 


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